One last chance for Lions hopefuls to make the plane
it is not over yet. there is still time for contenders to make a late run. lions coach Warren gatland is in new Zealand just now but he will be closely monitoring the final, frantic auditions in these parts.
given the way the six nations complicated so many selection equations, several places in the 37-man squad are surely still up for grabs. those seemingly facing last-minute trials include England captains past and present, Chris robshaw and Dylan Hartley.
gatland’s options are myriad and magnificent. the certainties appear to be captain- elect sam Warburton, Billy Vunipola, sean o’Brien and CJ stander. taulupe Faletau must have one foot on the plane but that leaves England’s robshaw, ireland’s Peter o’Mahony and Justin tipuric of Wales scrapping for two back-row spots.
this column will bang the drum for tipuric. a uniquely talented player with phenomenal all-round qualities, he offers something different and should not be overlooked. that could leave robshaw and o’Mahony vying for one place.
tomorrow, the Englishman will play for Harlequins against saracens in the sort of major occasion that tells gatland what a player is made of. He will be watched by graham rowntree, currently with Quins and soon to be working again with the lions forwards.
that link should do robshaw no harm. What could hurt certain irish candidates is that leinster and Munster will rotate their squads this weekend and next in the run-up to the Champions Cup semi-finals. garry ringrose and Joey Carbery must be in the lions mix and strong performances against ospreys tomorrow would aid their cause — if they play.
Hartley is one of four hookers seen as front-line contenders for the trip along with England understudy Jamie george, ireland captain rory Best — who leads ulster tonight against the Blues — and Ken owens of Wales.
England skipper Hartley has two fixtures to force gatland’s hand, at Wasps on sunday and at home seven days later against saracens — a head-to-head with george which may prove decisive.