Andy Farrell was said to have argued for the inclusion of Garry Ringrose.
We are hours away from the announcement of the 2017 British & Irish Lions squad. Sam Warburton is expected to lead the Lions for the second consecutive tour and the identities of about 30 tourists are safely assumed.
It is the final selection calls that will prove the toughest and there appears to have been some balloons floated.
It’s no surprise that Ben Te’o’s name cropped up over the weekend as there is a sense that Gatland could be softening any shock of his inclusion dominating the narrative. The 30-year-old Auckland native spent three seasons with Leinster Rugby and became Irish qualified only to move to leave for Worcester Warriors last summer.
Eddie Jones was quick to cap Te’o but he has only started one of his eight Test appearances. He was one of England’s finishers/subs for their successful Six Nations championship retention.
However, with Wales and Harlequins centre Jamie Roberts said to be locked in for his third tour in a row, the inclusion of Te’o is not a given.
On Sky Sports News, Stuart Barnes claimed the final centres call will be between Te’o and Ringrose, his former Leinster teammate.
The 22-year-old has also made eight Test appearances but only one was off the bench – that was his Ireland debut against New Zealand when he was forced into playing inside centre after Robbie Henshaw’s injury. His performance in that game and, in the same position, against Australia shot him into the Lions conversation.
Ringrose rebounded from a shaky 40 minutes against Scotland to have a decent Six Nations, with a blistering try against Italy and rabid defence against England his highlights. Electric form for Leinster in the Champions Cup has strengthened his case.
All will be known by midday today but, whatever way it goes, it seems Ringrose was a big part of the conversation.
