Five questions for Farrell ahead of Lions squad reveal

The final chance for any British and Irish Lions hopefuls to impress Andy Farrell and his staff has passed, with the head coach preparing to name his squad on Thursday.

- HARRY LATHAM-COYLE RUGBY

Together with a collaborative group of assistant coaches, of which former Ireland fly-half Johnny Sexton is an eye-catching member, Farrell will set about narrowing down his options to come up with a touring party expected to number about 37 or 38 to travel to Australia.

The three-Test series against the Wallabies comes at the end of a 10-match itinerary sure to challenge the depth and versatility of the travelling group chosen – and this is perhaps the broadest group of candidates yet, with a number of young guns, old stagers and French exiles all pushing for inclusion.

Has Northampton’s shock win over Leinster forced a late rethink? Will Ireland and Scotland’s disappointing Six Nations limit their representation? How many – if any – Welshmen will make the plane? The quadrennial selection always creates plenty of debate and dubiety.

Here are five key areas to look out for in Farrell’s selection this week.

Who wins the battle for back row places?

The very best of luck to Farrell and his staff as they attempt to narrow down their group of back row contenders to a reasonable number. The Lions could fill half of the plane with worthy options at the base of the scrum, with the openside position particularly hard-fought. The emergence of Henry Pollock – perhaps the in-form player in Europe with consistency belying his tender years – has only created another headache, with the 20-year-old surely forcing his way into Farrell’s plans.

Ben Earl, Tom Curry, Jac Morgan and Josh van der Flier all feel well placed to tour, too – with Ben Curry, Rory Darge and Tommy Reffell all lurking as options even without mentioning Jack Willis, outstanding again for Toulouse against Bordeaux though perhaps hamstrung by a likely delayed arrival in Australia.