With under two weeks to go before the British and Irish Lions kick off their tour with a trip to Dublin to face Argentina, things are hotting up.
The squad are heading out to Portugal for a pre-tour training camp, and players are starting to be pictured in their Lions gear.
Andy Farrell’s first change has been forced, with Zander Fagerson now confirmed to be missing the tour, Connacht’s Finlay Bealham is his replacement.
Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour have been added to the training camp squad to fill in for some names missing out due to the finals taking place this weekend.
Here, Charlie Elliott looks at some of the Lions whose performances stood out this past weekend and takes a look at how the squad is shaping up ahead of the Argentina game.
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Finn Russell
Russell put in a great shift in Bath‘s win over Bristol Bears, and he got better as the game went on to secure their place at Twickenham.
As a result, he will miss the training camp in Portugal, but for now, Premiership glory will be at the forefront of his mind.
Came off with an injury towards the end of the game, but it has been assured that it was nothing serious and won’t affect his chances of playing in the final.
If he is to lead Bath to a title, it would do his Test chances a world of good.
Ollie Chessum
Leicester Tigers edged past Sale Sharks with a gritty display in the other semi, with Chessum’s work at the lineout being one of the key factors in the win.
Sale are a side usually regarded for their quality from set pieces, but Chessum put them to the sword both offensively and defensively.
Around the pitch, too, he put in some big tackles and was a crucial player in Tigers’ win.
Has boosted his chances of potentially playing in the Tests, even in such a competitive position.
Dan Sheehan
Leinster hooker Sheehan was outstanding in the carry and reminded us all why he and his side are so highly rated.
He showed why he is Ireland’s starting hooker and is hotly tipped to be a Test starter for the Lions with a performance that included 17 carries and a brace of tries.
Glasgow couldn’t deal with him and the rest of the Leinster front row.
Luke Cowan-Dickie
It was a game to forget for the hooker.
Luke Cowan-Dickie’s darts at the lineout were wayward at best and allowed Chessum and Tigers the opportunity to capitalise on a few occasions.
For someone who is normally so assured in those situations, he looked a little bit rattled and wasn’t quite himself.
Five of his throws were picked off, which really isn’t good enough in such a big game.
Credit where it’s due, though, he battled and showed a real spirit to keep going.
It was also his knock on at the end of the game which ended the game and Sale’s hopes of progression.
On a weekend when Sheehan played so well, it will be a huge blow to his Test starting chances.
Tom Curry
Tom Curry finished off the season well and put in a shift against the Tigers, with no real errors of note and plenty of good work.
What is worrying, though, is the fact that he looked a bit legged in the second half, perhaps indicative of the number of injuries that he seems to be carrying at the moment.
It seems as if he has been playing every week he’s not been injured, with not much in the way of a rest.
He might need some time to recover from a busy season before heading to Australia.
Absentees
As expected, plenty of players are missing due to the upcoming Premiership and URC finals between Leicester Tigers and Bath, and Leinster and Bulls.
All of the selected Lions involved in the two finals have subsequently not been included in the training camp squad and will also not feature in Dublin against Argentina.
The only Top 14 player in the squad, Blair Kinghorn, will also be absent due to his involvement in Toulouse’s bid to win the Top 14, with their semi-final taking place on the same weekend as the Argentina game.
Full list:
James Lowe (Leinster)
Hugo Keenan (Leinster)
Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster)
Josh van der Flier (Leinster)
Will Stuart (Bath)
Dan Sheehan (Leinster)
Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers)
Jack Conan (Leinster)
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster)
Ronan Kelleher (Leinster)
Garry Ringrose (Leinster)
Joe McCarthy (Leinster)
Andrew Porter (Leinster)
James Ryan (Leinster)
Finn Russell (Bath)
Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse)
These omissions have opened a door for Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, both of whom have been selected as replacements to help with the lack of depth at hooker and prop given the unavailable players.
Opoku-Fordjour still has only one Test cap for England and has had a meteoric rise this season, with Andy Farrell previously praising him for his versatility in being able to play at both tighthead and loosehead.
Experienced hooker George has been a tourist twice previously and will bring a wealth of experience in the absence of Sheehan and Kelleher.
Following a tough year in which he missed out on Lions selection and lost his England captaincy, this opportunity provides him with a chance to show Farrell what he is missing and potentially force his way in.
These two being selected does suggest that they would be the next additions should someone in their position drop out due to injury.
Finlay Bealham called up
Zander Fagerson has been confirmed as missing the tour due to a calf injury, with Connacht’s Finlay Bealham being his replacement at tighthead prop.
Fagerson was a tourist for the 2021 tour to South Africa but did not see any action in the Test matches, and this year would have been a real chance for him to have done so, given the competitiveness of the position.
Tadhg Furlong has had injury struggles of late, which leaves Will Stuart as the only fully fit tighthead alongside Bealham now.
Bealham had a strong Six Nations for Ireland and is a quality player, with this marking his first-ever Lions call-up.
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