British and Irish Lions winners and losers: Andy Farrell ‘spoilt for choice’ but England duo ‘slip down pecking order’

Louis Chapman Coombe
A two layered image of Andy Farrell and Ben Earl

British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell with an insert of Ben Earl.

Following the conclusion of the opening round of the Six Nations, Planet Rugby takes a look at the key winners and losers from a British and Irish Lions perspective.

Winners

Andy Farrell

He really is spoilt for choice at the minute, with a whole host of players putting their hands up for selection with some blockbuster displays. In almost every position, there were at least three or four players who stood out, which should leave Farrell beaming. It does create a headache, but it’s a good headache to have at this stage.

Huw Jones

Scotland star Huw Jones came into the weekend with a serious point to prove after the injury to Sione Tuipulotu, however he made everyone eat their words with a fine display. It doesn’t get much better than a hat-trick on the opening day, but the different ways in which he scored should excite Farrell no end as he looks to bring a new attacking mindset to the Lions this summer.

Rory Darge

Even with the massive competition for the seven shirt, he just seems a quintessential Lions Test player and he showed his credentials against Italy. Darge was just a consistent menace at the breakdown, and also had some lovely flashes in both defence and attack. A really complete performance, that just gave Lions vibes.

Ben White

You’d think nine is pretty open right now, with only Jamison Gibson-Park nailed on to tour, but Ben White has certainly put his name in the mix with a great performance. He generated some serious tempo in attack, but his decision-making around the ruck will also prick Farrell’s ears.

Darcy Graham

Again, wing is fairly open at the minute, but Darcy Graham could be a great shout to occupy a spot there. His electric footwork was a real point-of-difference against Italy, and it just allowed him to dance through the defence and create plenty of opportunities.

Scotland v Italy winners and losers: ‘Electric’ Huw Jones ‘answers doubters’ while ‘underrated’ back proves Lions credentials

Dan Sheehan

It was only a brief cameo, but my WORD was it a good one. His introduction gave Ireland a massive boost, and nothing summed that up more than his brilliant try. Sheehan has been touted as the Lions Test starter for a while now – even whilst injured – but his display against England should virtually cement him in that number two jersey.

Jack Crowley

The introduction of Jack Crowley off the bench was another catalyst behind Ireland’s comeback win yesterday, and Farrell should be on red alert as a result. Ireland’s attack was a lot slicker with the Munsterman at the helm, which allowed them to pull away from England with ease. This was the reminder Farrell needed of Crowley’s true quality, and he could very easily have put himself back in the Lions picture as a result.

Jamison Gibson-Park

As mentioned above, he was almost guaranteed a spot on the plane pre-Six Nations, however after his Man of the Match display against England he might as well get his number nine shirt tailored. Everything good about Ireland came as a result of his work, and if it wasn’t for him they could easily have been further behind than they were. Bolted on, surely, for that starting spot against the Wallabies.

Bundee Aki

With Sione Tuipulotu out of the picture this Six Nations, Bundee Aki has been handed a golden chance to stake a claim for the 12 shirt, and he did exactly that against England. Despite a quiet first-half, he just excelled in the second 40 and looked at his very best, shown perfectly by his try.

James Lowe

Big game from James Lowe, whose stock was beginning to slip a touch after a fairly average autumn. His kicking game looked back to its best, and played a massive role in switching the pressure back onto England, but he also got heavily involved with ball-in-hand and posed a serious threat out wide. When like this, there aren’t many better wingers in the game; so Farrell will want him playing like this throughout the Championship.

Ollie Lawrence

Given the competition in midfield, Ollie Lawrence needed something to push him back into the Lions conversation, and he got that against Ireland. It was potentially his best game in an England shirt yet, mainly because he was used in the role he excels in. He seemed to break through the gainline whenever he touched the ball, but again it came in that wider space where he gets the most change. This performance has probably set a standard for him moving forward now, and he needs to maintain this level if he wants to get a seat on the plane.

Tom Curry

Just the ultimate Test player, and he reminded us exactly what he’s about against Ireland. Just ran his blood to water for his side, and got heavily involved in the tight exchanges. He is a slightly different player to what he was a few years ago, however he is clearly just as good and based off this performance he would do a great job for the Lions.

Ireland v England: Winners and losers as rookies ‘fail to impress’ while Currys ‘repay’ Steve Borthwick’s faith and James Lowe ‘leaps’ into Lions frame

Jac Morgan

If Wales had won on Friday night, Jac Morgan’s performance would have gone down as one of the great Six Nations performances of all time. He was simply phenomenal in almost every aspect, even if the rest of his team were pretty dismal, and he deserves all the praise that will come his way in the coming weeks. Morgan was already a world class player, and his performance against France should prove to Farrell he is just that.

Losers

Finn Russell

Whilst it wasn’t an awful performance from Russell, his inconsistent showing could give Farrell a little bit more doubt surrounding the number 10 shirt. Russell is still the front-runner to start at fly-half though, but he needs to raise his standards to their usual levels to make sure he locks it down.

Mack Hansen

Again, didn’t really do anything wrong, but with the likes of Lowe and Graham having outstanding games he picked a bad week to have an average game. England did manage him pretty well, mind, but it was just an OK performance from the usually brilliant winger.

Sam Prendergast

Wasn’t his best performance, was it, but the noise surrounding his battle with Crowely could be a factor. He is clearly a talented player, and is still finding his feet at Test level, but this Six Nations was a big chance to push himself into that Lions picture, and he didn’t get it right against England.

Ben Earl

Another fairly poor performance from Ben Earl, continuing on from his showings in the autumn. There just doesn’t seem to be the same sort of intensity and drive behind his performances at the minute, which can certainly happen, but it’s a real shame considering he was a nailed-on starter in any predicted Lions team this time last year.

George Martin

Following suit, was just another average performance from the Leicester lock, who picked a bad week to have a game like that. Lock is an increasingly competitive position for the Lions, and Martin seems to just be slipping down the pecking order as the weeks go by. He is such a talent though, particularly in defence, so he needs to get back to those levels if he wants to climb back up Farrell’s list.

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