British and Irish Lions winners and losers: Fly-half ‘pushes himself up the conversation’ while back-rower ‘gets boarding pass ready’
From left to right: Andy Farrell, Tom Curry and Fin Smith
Following the conclusion of round two of the Six Nations, here are our winners and losers from a British and Irish Lions perspective.
Winners
Fin Smith
Northampton Saints man Fin Smith probably wasn’t in many people’s Lions thoughts before the Six Nations, but his superb display against France has surely pushed him up the conversation. F. Smith not only got England playing the free-flowing, fast attack fans want to see, but he also made everyone else shine around him. Crucially, his ice-cold kick at the death to secure the win shows the sort of mentality he has in pressure moments. A big, big step in the right direction for F. Smith.
Tom Curry
Might as well pack his suitcase and get his boarding pass ready, to be honest. Tom Curry was utterly sensational in the win over France, keeping with recent form, but it showed just how he has got better despite his injury woes. He also worked tirelessly for his side on both sides of the ball, which is exactly the sort of mentality you need to be a Lions starter. Wonder if he prefers window or aisle…
Tommy Freeman
Another Northampton Saints star makes the list. Tommy Freeman was in fine touch in England’s win against France, notably lighting the spark for their late second-half revival, and it was a performance that would have pleased Andy Farrell a lot. Freeman was constantly coming off his wing and popping up in different holes, much like a 13 would actually, and his ability to generate go-forward ball really helped get England out of some sticky situations. His work in the air was also phenomenal and could play into how Farrell wants to attack this summer very nicely.
Ollie Lawrence
He’s having a very good Six Nations, isn’t he? This was yet again a performance Ollie Lawrence needed to get him back into contention for the Lions, but it’s also shown he can back up good performances at Test level too. The Bath man is such an explosive carrier, but he’s showing he can be that power option in those wider channels and that is a real point of difference for him compared to the other options for 13. Just in very good form right now, and will likely be catching Farrell’s attention.
Jamie George
There’s been a lot of talk about Jamie George not being a viable option on the bench this summer, but he simply made us all eat humble pie with his brilliant cameo against France. His introduction from the bench helped swing momentum back towards England, with some seriously good carrying and impressive work in the set-piece to boot. He answered some doubters wrong on Saturday, and it’s likely made Farrell see him in a different light.
Sam Prendergast
Didn’t have his best game last time out, but MY WORD did he step up to the plate against Scotland! Everything good about Ireland on Sunday came through the Leinsterman, as he got them purring in almost every department. Crucially, this was the sign we needed that he can take Test matches by the scruff of the neck and just dominate it, which is what Farrell will be wanting from his Test fly-half this summer.
Josh van der Flier
Classy as ever against Scotland, and you’d think he’s now putting one foot on the plane. He just got through so much work on both sides of the ball, which is exactly what Farrell will want from his back-rowers this summer.
Tadhg Beirne
Looks every inch a Lion at the moment. He just set the tone for his side in the tight as he brought heaps of physicality and genuine drive, which in turn helped Ireland get on the front-foot. This sort of performance is what could get the Lions over the line against the Wallabies in the summer, and he’s fitting the mould right now.
Finlay Bealham
Potentially his strongest scrummaging performance in an Ireland shirt to date, but it’s his work around the pitch that caught our attention. With Zander Fagerson and Tadhg Furlong setting the standard for the modern tighthead, Bealham showed he can match them with some serious hard graft too. With the aforementioned duo also likely to tour, Bealham showed he will complement them nicely with a very strong all-round performance.
Huw Jones
Despite playing in a losing side, he just looks so Lionsy at the moment. While the rest of the Scotland attack faltered, he was able to make some serious in-roads through the Irish defence and get his side some decent opportunities. Crucially, this performance came against some of his main Lions competitors in Bundee Aki, Robbie Henshaw and Garry Ringrose.
Losers
Darcy Graham
Only on this list due to picking up a serious concussion, which could see him miss a decent chunk of the Six Nations. This could be a huge blow to his Lions chances, as this is the main window to impress ahead of the tour, and it then lets other wingers push their case in his absence. A real shame.
Warren Gatland gone! Wales confirm drastic mid-Six Nations sacking after 14 successive defeats
Finn Russell
Again, only in this section because of his head injury. This blow cost him a huge opportunity to go toe-to-toe with competitor Prendergast too, with the Ireland fly-half later having a stormer. It’s not been the Six Nations he would have hoped for so far, so hopefully he is right for the England Test.
Rory Darge
Whilst he didn’t do much wrong, the strong performances of his main competitors have dented his chances a touch. He just came out second-best in his head-to-head with Josh van der Flier, and also struggled to assert himself in the tight against the likes of Tadhg Beirne and Peter O’Mahoney. Darge will have better days in a Scotland shirt, though.
Ben White
Was just well beaten by opposite number, and Lions competitor, Jamison Gibson-Park, which is a shame considering his strong showing against Italy in round one. Despite his try, he just couldn’t get a proper foothold in the game and struggled to get Scotland’s attack firing.
Blair Kinghorn
Picked a bad day to have arguably his worst outing in a Scotland jersey. Was just targetted by the Irish backline throughout the game, which really kept him under wraps throughout.
Marcus Smith
A really mixed bag from Marcus Smith, but with some seriously strong performances from fly-half competitors he might have slipped down the pecking order a touch. He was deployed at fullback, in fairness, but still other fly-halves had some strong outings and he wasn’t able to fully put his best foot forward.
READ NEXT: Warren Gatland gone! Wales confirm drastic mid-Six Nations sacking after 14 successive defeats
