British and Irish Lions winners and losers: Trio enter ‘captaincy conversation’ while Scottish stars ‘loosen grip’ on starting jerseys
From left to right: Andy Farrell, Dan Sheehan and Jac Morgan
Following the conclusion of round three of the Six Nations, Planet Rugby assesses the winners and losers from a British and Irish Lions perspective.
Winners
Fin Smith
England fly-half Fin Smith has picked a very good time to show he’s a Test-level 10, and that could very easily get him on Andy Farrell’s radar. He had to show a slightly different edge to the one against France, particularly in defence, but if anything that’s boosted his chances as he showed he can fit different games and still have the same effect. The bravery to back himself for the late penalty, with the game on the line and from the halfway line, also shows his ice-cold mentality. He’s really playing himself into that red jersey.
Maro Itoje
If he wasn’t already on the plane, he is now. England skipper Maro Itoje was yet again brilliant against Scotland, in keeping with his personal form since taking on the captaincy, where he just worked his socks off to get his team home. Not only has this latest win shown his qualities on the pitch, but it’s also given his captaincy chances a major lift too given he made the correct calls when it mattered most.
Will Stuart
One of the most improved scrummagers in the world, and his showing against Scotland in this department has probably got him dreaming of a Lions call-up. Whilst Scotland have underdelivered in this area, the way he just locked it down against Pierre Schoeman, who was many people’s Lions starting loosehead before the Six Nations, showed just what a valuable asset he has become in the scrum and add that to his work around the park and you’re onto a real winner. Also picked a good day to have a performance like he did, given Zander Fagerson was on the opposite team.
Duhan van der Merwe
Have England done something to offend him? In keeping with recent history, Duhan van der Merwe was at his freakish best against England and that has given his Lions hopes a major boost. Van der Merwe hadn’t done his chances any favours with some lacklustre performances, by his own standards that is, but this was the sign Farrell needed to see that he is still a proper Test match animal. Could have helped his mate, Finn Russell, out a smidgen, but otherwise was absolutely breathtaking – after all, it’s not often you get Man of the Match whilst being on the losing team.
Jamie Ritchie
The back-row is ULTRA competitive, but Scotland’s Jamie Ritchie put in an incredibly ‘Lionsy’ performance against England, particularly against some of the main competitors to feature in that department. He was just immense in every facet of the game, but came into his own in the breakdown as he produced some nice turnovers which in turn allowed Scotland to get on the front-foot. Very, very impressive.
Dan Sheehan
Was a fairly left-field call giving him the captaincy for the Wales Test, but he more than warranted the selection and could easily be seen as a captaincy candidate for the summer now too. He led from the front with his actions on the pitch, putting in a ridiculous 74-minute shift in the front-row, but his calm and composed head also played a crucial role in Ireland’s comeback win. He’s already locked down the starting shirt, in our mind, but this could put him in the captaincy conversation.
Jamison Gibson-Park
To be perfectly frank, I’m running out of ways to say Jamison Gibson-Park is going on the Lions tour other than saying outright that he is going on the Lions tour. He’s just an incredibly gifted rugby player, and proved on Saturday why people consider him one of the best in the world right now. Exceptional performance from the man who currently boasts a 93% winning record since losing his hair.
Bundee Aki
He’s starting at 12. There, I said it. Bundee Aki has proved to be the lynchpin behind Ireland’s attack for so many years now, but the way he changed the game should leave Farrell bouncing off the walls with excitement. His brand of smash-and-bash rescued Ireland – they were 18-13 down when he came on the pitch – on Saturday and got them over the line against a Wales side that really did put them under the pump for large parts of the match. Games like that surely put anyone on a Lions tour.
Jac Morgan
Just continued from where he left off in his previous two outings, and that in itself is a massive compliment considering his performances in bitter losses. Not only is he putting himself firmly in the conversation to start in the back-row, which let’s face it he probably will now, but he is really entering captaincy candidate territory too. His leadership has been so important to Wales this Six Nations, as he plays with a passion that makes even the most patriotic Englishman root for Wales. A truly exceptional player.
Taulupe Faletau
He couldn’t, could he? Taulupe Faletau is proving, once again, that he is a world-class operator, but his performances are also hitting the levels that got him on his previous three tours. Number eight is another extremely competitive position right now, but the remarkable comeback of Faletau should leave Farrell with some serious headaches. The worrying thing, for his competitors at least, is the fact he doesn’t look like he’s been away from Test level, and will only improve from here too with more minutes.
Losers
Finn Russell
No, he’s not on here for the kick. Before the Six Nations, you thought he was the locked-on number 10, but that grip seems to be loosening a touch now. This is the third game in a row where he hasn’t quite got Scotland firing at their best, and it was actually a tad worrying how disconnected they looked in those final 20 minutes even with the amount of pressure they put on England. Again, he’s not here because of the kicks, but the other fly-halves are catching up to him. Scotland wouldn’t have had the success they’ve had without him, though, and that needs to be pointed out.
Zander Fagerson
Like Russell, Fagerson was many people’s starting tighthead before the Six Nations, but his stock has fallen massively since the start of the Championship. The scrum isn’t firing anywhere near the levels it has done in previous years, which will worry Farrell given the way Angus Bell and James Slipper have been going in this area for the Wallabies. His work around the park continues to be excellent, but the scrum is a prop’s bread and butter and it just isn’t going his way right now.
Rory Darge
Didn’t do anything wrong, at all, but he again got overshadowed by other back-rowers competing for that Lions shirt. Still, he is an absolutely wicked player but it was just another average performance by his lofty standards and that could cost him.
Marcus Smith
Whilst it’s not his fault he’s back at 15, he’s basically been moved to the side whilst F. Smith continues to take golden chances to boost his Lions credentials. Fly-half is probably the position Farrell is losing sleep over at the moment, but as long as he is at full-back then Marcus Smith is losing valuable opportunities to get himself into the conversation. His experience at 15 could add to his arsenal though to make the tour, but you feel he would want to be involved in the Test team rather than just be a tourist.
Alex Mitchell
Not his best performance in an England shirt, and given the performances of Tomos Williams and the aforementioned Gibson-Park that has come at a pretty bad time. To be fair to him, the gameplan probably didn’t suit his skillset, but to be a Lions Test nine you need to be able to adapt to these things and he couldn’t quite do that.
Andrew Porter
Up until now, Andrew Porter was almost the nailed-on starter at loosehead, but he came under the pump in the scrum and that could cast a bit of doubt over him. This was probably a blip, considering his earlier performances this Six Nations, but the ease that WillGriff John forced him out of shape and milked penalties was a real issue.
Garry Ringrose
He’s likely going to be ruled out of the remainder of the Six Nations, which puts him right out the shop window for the Lions. The Six Nations before the Lions tour usually defines the outcome of the squad, maybe even the Test team, and he now misses his golden opportunity to put his best foot forward. His likely suspension will also give the rest of the competing centres a chance to leapfrog him.