THIS TIME NEXT week Warren Gatland will put the educated guessing and wild speculating to bed by selecting a 35-man group to travel to Australia under the British & Irish Lions banner.
The New Zealander, who has coached in Ireland, England and Wales in the past 15 years [as well as a stint with the Chiefs], has been scouting players ever since last summer when he got the nod for the illustrious coaching role.
The Six Nations championship plays an important role in discerning the top candidates to travel but European and league fixtures are also crucial in the final weeks before the coach makes his call.
From a purely Irish perspective we will look at three Lions hopefuls and assess where they stand in relation to selection after the weekend’s action.
Tommy Bowe
The Monaghan man scored his second try in two weeks since returning from a three-month lay-off. Like a typical, score-hungry winger he ran off the shoulder of the charging Iain Henderson and took the offload to crash over for his 50th Celtic/Pro12 league try. Bowe gets an extra check in the box for starring on the left wing against Connacht having previously started, and scored, against Dragons at Ravenhill.
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Ulster coach Mark Anscombe made the point that Bowe has ‘more gas in the tank’ after his injury disrupted season than some of his selection rivals, who have played anything up to 30 times with club and country. The presumptive Test starter is recovering from a hamstring injury that he picked up in Wales’ Six Nations win over England, during which he scored two tries. Chris Ashton has another chance to impress Warren Gatland and his selection panel, against Toulon in the Heineken Cup, this weekend.
Jonathan Sexton
The outhalf played his first Leinster game in three months at the weekend and rarely missed a beat against a game Zebre side that remain winless in their debut season. Sexton was 100% in landing seven placed kicks from seven, ran a great line and nicely timed a pass to give Fergus McFadden a try and crafted, albeit with a fortunate bounce, an Fionn Carr score in the second-half.
Owen Farrell [Saracens] takes on Johnny Wilkinson [Toulon] in the H-Cup semis this weekend and while the younger outhalf is a selection certainty, another masterclass from the World Cup winning drop goal specialist could yet win him inclusion.
Dan Biggar’s chances have not been aided by Ospreys’ poor European and Pro12 campaigns but he stepped up well for Wales this year.
Brian O’Driscoll
Just when the 34-year-old needed to show form and fitness, he produces. If O’Driscoll had one foot on the plane to Australia [via Hong Kong] this summer, his try against Munster, when he had four goes at the line in 60 seconds, and flick pass for Isa Nacewa’s try, means he can choose his seat and the on-flight movies.
Gatland may have been worried to see him on the receiving end of a tough tackle by Mauro Bergamasco but the centre shook it off. Out of his main rivals for the 13 jersey, Manu Tuilagi [Leicester] wreaked some havoc against Bath but was kept off the scoresheet while Jonathan Davies [Scarlets] is hitting form at the right time with a two-try performance against Cardiff.
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Warren Gatland names his squad next Tuesday from 11am.
