If I was Andy Farrell...Guardian writers pick their Lions squads

The quadrennial trip involves fiendishly difficult selection calls. Our writers hand out the plane tickets to Australia

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Ugo Monye Build the team around The majority of my spine players come in the pack. In some areas the leading candidate is a cut above the rest and none more so than Dan Sheehan at hooker. He's nailed on as first choice. I'd put Maro Itoje in that bracket too and, due to lack of alternatives, I would have had Caelan Doris before news of his shoulder injury emerged. Perhaps the most important player is the one back I've selected in this category, however.

Jamison Gibson-Park has been so exceptionally consistent and is someone you can look to build around. You build a team around your players of influence and, for me, they are Sheehan, Itoje and Gibson-Park.

Definitely maybes Henry Pollock is the obvious candidate. What a 12 months he has had. He won the junior World Cup last summer, has starred in Northampton's European campaign to the extent he's been nominated for player of the year, scored two tries on his England debut and just went toe to toe with the best back row in the club game. Every challenge he is presented with, he is rising to, and I'd expect no different on a Lions tour. I'm not sure bolter is the right term, but in terms of someone who has also come late to the conversation, I'd also include George Ford. I'd have him on the tour. He is as close to a player-coach as you are likely to see. He's having to come up on the rails because he appeared only once in the Six Nations - but what a cameo it was against Wales - and his Premiership form has galvanised Sale.

Starting Test fly-half Finn Russell. He's been there and he'd be the only fly-half who has been on a Lions tour before. There's a step up from club rugby to European rugby, another to international rugby and another still to the Lions. Experience matters. It helps he has knockout matches for Bath and he can sharpen his tools at the business end of the season.