The British and Irish Lions kick off their tour in Dublin this Friday, playing against Argentina in the 1888 Cup.
Every player apart from Blair Kinghorn will be available for selection (subject to fitness), but it is suspected that the finalists from the URC and Premiership will probably only play a small part in this game.
Of those 15 players that featured for Leinster, Bath and Leicester Tigers, some are more likely to play than others, given a lack of depth in their respective positions.
It almost certainly won’t be the side that we will see for the first Test, but Charlie Elliott goes through his XV for the Argentina game.
For ease, all finalists from last weekend have been left out, although some may play depending on fitness and individual circumstances.
For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.
15 Marcus Smith
The Lions aren’t exactly blessed with a depth of fullbacks for the Argentina game, with Hugo Keenan missing Leinster’s URC final due to injury and Blair Kinghorn still away with Toulouse in the Top 14.
Keenan may be back for the game, but predicting him to start depends on his recovery, which is uncertain.
For that reason, Smith seems like the logical selection to play in Dublin.
An exciting player who is as good as anyone on his day, this really is his chance to shine and potentially put out a statement to Andy Farrell that he is better suited as a Test starter than a rotation option.
With two fullbacks away for this game, Smith could cause some selection headaches later down the line.
14 Tommy Freeman
Likely a Test starter even with everyone around, Freeman is almost nailed on as a starter for this game against Argentina, unless Farrell wants to really change things up.
Form-wise, he has been the standout winger out of the Lions contingent and should get a run out to prepare him for Australia.
13 Elliot Daly
If Huw Jones or Garry Ringrose were completely fit, then they would likely take this jersey.
Both have slight doubts surrounding fitness, though, so Farrell is unlikely to want to risk causing further issues down the line.
Daly is a more than ample replacement and has already justified his selection as a versatile back, given the struggles for depth ahead of Friday’s game.
If one of the two already mentioned is fine, then they may start here and put Daly fullback over Smith, potentially.
12 Sione Tuipulotu
This was a tight pick between Tuipulotu and Bundee Aki.
The nod has been given to the Scotland star because he needs minutes after what has been a season interrupted by injuries.
He is also more likely to start in a Test than Aki, in my opinion, so he needs proper minutes in his legs.
Aki would be a great option off the bench, but that role requires less fitness and sharpness.
11 Duhan van der Merwe
The caveat for this selection is that van der Merwe needs to be 100% fit; otherwise, it is not worth risking him.
I am not privy to that kind of information, so based on what I know about him being in contention for the URC quarter-finals recently, he seems to be well on the road to recovery.
James Lowe isn’t around, so this spot is between him and Mack Hansen, both of whom need to get some minutes in their legs.
Van der Merwe is more likely to play in a Test, so he should get priority in terms of minutes.
10 Fin Smith
With Finn Russell playing in the Premiership final, it is unlikely that he will start and possibly even feature at all in Dublin.
That leaves the two Smiths, and with Marcus already selected as fullback, there is not much competition for Northampton Saints‘ Fin Smith.
A hugely capable player who has come on leaps and bounds this season, the youngster seems to have the composure and aura to succeed at Lions level.
9 Tomos Williams
Jamison Gibson-Park’s injury status remains unknown after his late omission from Leinster’s URC final, leaving Williams and Alex Mitchell as the two who will battle it out to start at scrum-half.
Williams has been outstanding all season for Gloucester but has struggled for Wales, with many believing that the reason he has struggled is because of the pack in front of him.
Now is a real chance to see if he can do it at Lions level with a solid pack in front of him, and if he can still work his magic.
Mitchell is the safer option, but a slight wildcard from Farrell would be interesting.
1 Ellis Genge
With Andrew Porter unlikely to feature after a huge stint for Leinster against the Bulls, this position is directly between Genge and Pierre Schoeman.
I make Genge just about superior as a loosehead to his Scottish counterpart, but there is not much in it between the two.
The Bristol Bears man has really improved his scrummaging game recently and can still deliver around the pitch when required.
Schoeman’s versatility would also be more beneficial off the bench, especially given a potential depth issue at tighthead.
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie
A pretty simple pick, the two other hookers featured in one way or another for Leinster on the weekend.
Jamie George was called up to help with training last week, but it has been confirmed that he won’t be selected for the upcoming game, so Cowan-Dickie seems pretty nailed on.
Ronan Kelleher played under 30 minutes, so he will probably be the option off the bench.
3 Finlay Bealham
Tadhg Furlong still looks injured, Will Stuart played in the Premiership final, and Asher Opoku-Fordjour has been released following his help at training this week.
There isn’t much to choose from at tighthead, so it will surely be Bealham to start.
It has been a whirlwind couple of weeks for Bealham as he was a late addition to the squad following Zander Fagerson’s recent injury.
4 Maro Itoje
The first name on the team sheet, there is no reason why captain Itoje will not be playing in this game.
Lock isn’t the best position in terms of depth, and the captain will need to use every ounce of his leadership.
5 Tadhg Beirne
If the second row was a bit stronger, I would have had Beirne playing at six and a different second row.
As it is, there isn’t much depth, so there is no point using a lock as a flanker.
Scott Cummings is the only other available, with Beirne being a superior player to the Scotland man.
6 Tom Curry
With Ollie Chessum likely getting a rest following the Tigers’ Prem final and Beirne covering at second row, the Lions aren’t blessed at blindside.
Curry is the best of those available in this position and could be used as a jumping option from the lineout, as has been seen for England.
Curry will bring industrious play across the pitch and has been one of the standout players in Sale Sharks‘ play-off finish this season in the league.
7 Henry Pollock
This one is going to be between Jac Morgan and Pollock, two of the biggest fan favourites going into this tour.
Given that it is a warm-up game and Pollock has had a meteoric rise, playing in this game may be beneficial in terms of seeing how he can adapt to this level, given that he only made his England debut in the Six Nations.
I think Morgan is more likely to start a Test, but Pollock getting minutes would be more beneficial.
It would also be extremely popular with fans, which can only be a good thing for Farrell.
8 Ben Earl
With Jack Conan playing for Leinster and being the only out-and-out eight in the Lions squad, Earl seems to be the next best option.
More than capable of playing this position, Earl has been very good this season for Saracens and his played plenty of times at eight for his club and especially for England.
By Charlie Elliott
READ MORE: British and Irish Lions Watch – Finn Russell dominates Premiership final
