British and Irish Lions selection was a constant talking point throughout the Six Nations Championship. In almost every position there have been at least three or four players who have stood out, which has created a headache for Andy Farrell.
So who will have impressed the Lions head coach – and whose chances of touring Australia will have decreased now the tournament is in the rear?
Movers
Mack Hansen (Ireland)
A disappointing third place for Ireland, after it all started so brightly. There are not many Irishmen whose stock rose during the championship – Dan Sheehan and James Lowe would be two other contenders – but certainly one is Mack Hansen. The wing was sorely missed in Ireland’s only defeat, to France, and looked a class above in Rome last Saturday. Who knows, given how hard the Azzurri pushed Simon Easterby’s side, it might have been another story without Hansen.
Blair Kinghorn (Scotland)
Full-backs are often found at the top of metres made statistics but it is not always the case that they top line breaks and carries, too – but Blair Kinghorn did this Six Nations. The Scotland full-back was always in the Lions picture before the championship but he looked like the pre-eminent Home Nations No 15 during the championship, even with a tougher day at the office against Ireland. The question now is whether Andy Farrell will select him with the Top 14 final on Saturday June 28 – and Kinghorn’s Toulouse expected to be in it – given that it could rule Kinghorn out of three tour games. Kinghorn’s fellow countryman, Jamie Ritchie, did plenty to thrust himself back into contention, too; and Tom Jordan’s versatility could also see him make the plane.
Will Stuart (England)
So much for an English weakness! England’s scrum was one of its foremost strengths during the Six Nations and Will Stuart was at the heart of that. Pre-championship, few would have had Stuart ear-marked for a spot on the plane to Australia this summer but the Bath tighthead has shot from possible to beyond probable. Stuart’s propping team-mate, Ellis Genge, will also surely be on that flight, but that would be less of a surprise when compared with his tighthead’s improvements.
Fin Smith (England)
There is a long way to go for Fin Smith – even before Lions selection is certain – but there is a growing presence and maturity which is tough to ignore. Smith makes others around him tick, and his performances since round two more than justified his selection at fly-half over his namesake, Marcus, who, on the one hand, slipped down the fly-half pecking order but, on the other, showed valuable versatility which could be exceptionally handy on a Lions tour. Fin Smith’s brutish defence is another feather in his cap, too.
Ben Curry (England)
This year’s Six Nations has seen the lesser-known Curry grow in stature. Ben Curry had never looked out of place in an England jersey but it would be fair to highlight that he had never shone, either. Some punchy performances off the bench – as well as an energetic showing in Dublin – all led to Cardiff, where Ben, starting alongside brother Tom, was the star of the show. Should Sale find themselves in the Premiership top four come the end of the season – or, even, progression in Europe despite having to travel to Toulouse – then Ben Curry’s inclusion would be tempting for Farrell.
Shakers
Tomos Williams (Wales)
Not wishing to single Tomos Williams out and make the scrum-half the scapegoat of a desperate Welsh campaign, but pre-championship he was one of only a few Wales players who even had a chance of touring. Now, he remains in the frame, but others – such as Ben White, Alex Mitchell, and maybe one of the peripheral English or Irish scrum-halves – have emerged to challenge. Where once Williams was a probable tourist, he is now just one of the possibles.
Rory Darge (Scotland)
Rory Darge is the victim of playing in one of the Lions’ most competitive positions. The battle for the Lions back row will be ferocious and fine margins will decide both selection for the tour and then for the Tests themselves. Darge had a solid Six Nations but many had the Scotland co-captain slated for a spot before the championship and, in that context, it was an underwhelming campaign for him. In Paris, Darge was largely anonymous and was hooked on 66 minutes; his fellow flanker, Jamie Ritchie, however, grew as the heat increased in Paris. That will not have gone unnoticed by Farrell.
Pierre Schoeman (Scotland)
Like the two who came before him, Pierre Schoeman’s inclusion is not to say that he had a “bad” championship per se, but there were many who believed he was a shoo-in; and that he would push Ireland’s Andrew Porter the whole way for the Test loosehead jersey. Due to a lack of viable alternatives, Schoeman should still tour, but on the Six Nations evidence Ellis Genge has leapfrogged him in the pecking order.
Josh van der Flier (Ireland)
It would be fair to say that if Josh van der Flier continued playing like he is from now until May then his inclusion in the tour squad would be based on reputation – or, at best, Farrell backing himself to get the best out of the Irish flanker – rather than form. That could be said for other Irish forwards, too, such as Joe McCarthy and James Ryan. Tadhg Beirne was solid if unspectacular throughout the Six Nations but Jack Conan looked a handful off the bench and the Leinster back-rower’s versatility could even see him beat Van der Flier, his team-mate for club and country, to the Lions tour. In a disappointing Irish campaign, Van der Flier fell short of his own lofty standards.
Sam Prendergast (Ireland)
It is tough to know what to make of Sam Prendergast’s championship and to judge it too harshly. There were moments of undoubted genius – some of the distribution, particularly against Scotland, and that sumptuous 50:22 against Wales – but there were concerns; notably in defence and, also, the ease with which France were able to physically disrupt his rhythm and tempo. Before that game, with Ireland on for a Grand Slam, the prevailing wisdom was that Prendergast had one hand on the Lions Test jersey but now, with Ireland finishing third and with the 22-year-old having lost his starting berth to Jack Crowley for the unconvincing victory in Italy, it might be a bit more in the balance.
