Adds to the fierce second-row battle

the full 80 minutes for Saracens. “I was pleasantly surprised,” he said. “I have not had too long to get on my feet and do my fitness so it was always going to be a lung burner. I am happy with the result and to be back playing. It is probably just the confidence and the fitness to go out and play. I am pretty happy with my 80 minutes and I’ll just try to build on it.”

Asked if he had chosen a particularly opportune moment to return, Kruis replied: “Not particularly. I know there’s a lot of hype about the Lions selection. I have had such a long year being injured, I just want to get back playing. It’s the only thing on my mind. I just enjoy playing rugby. This is our job and to be training is great but playing is what you want to be doing.”

While Kruis has no form of which to speak, he does have a powerful supporter in Borthwick, the England and now Lions forwards coach who mentored him at Saracens. Like Borthwick, Kruis has developed a reputation for being a lineout “nause”. There is no better line-out caller available to Gatland and he also provides a ready-made combination alongside club colleagues George and Maro Itoje.

His other great asset is his impact as a second-row scrummager – England coach Eddie Jones rates him as the best in the northern hemisphere – and even with a second-choice prop pairing of Titi Lamositele and Vincent Koch, Saracens dominated Northampton in that department on Sunday.

All that would have been fed back to Gatland through Borthwick, who would also have highlighted another barnstorming performance by Northampton’s Courtney Lawes, who has been in excellent form since the turn of the year. “Courtney Lawes just seems to be getting better,” Jim Mallinder, the Northampton director of rugby, said.

Assuming five lock forwards are selected then Alun Wyn Jones and Itoje will be automatic selections. Ireland’s Iain Henderson would rank as a probable, given how frequently he has been namechecked by Gatland for his ability to play in the second and back row. That leaves two places for Kruis, Lawes and his Six Nations secondrow partner Joe Launchbury, Jonny Gray, Luke Charteris and Donnacha Ryan to fight over.

As harsh as it would be on the other contenders, Kruis and Lawes may have just claimed their places at Stadium MK.