Needless unease over foreign-born Lions is ramping up pressure

Tuipulotu, Hansen and the rest of Farrell's 'Southern Hemisphere Seven' long ago proved their commitment

- Gerard Meagher

For the class of 2017 it was the Geography Six and for the current crop, it may prove to be the Southern Hemisphere Seven. Andy Farrell's squad announcement was low on controversy, on glaring omissions or shock inclusions, and even the Owen issue was dealt with diplomatically. In the days since, however, provenance has been raised as a problem.

Farrell selected in his squad three players born in New Zealand, two in Australia and two in South Africa. Willie John McBride - a legend of five Lions tours - is apparently "bothered" by it and is not alone in expressing concerns at the number of foreign-born players in the 38-man squad.

All seven are, of course, entirely eligible. Mack Hansen and Sione Tuipulotu were born in Australia but qualified for Ireland and Scotland respectively via a parent or grandparent. Bundee Aki, Jamison Gibson-Park, James Lowe, Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe all qualified on residency grounds. In short, nationality is a complex issue and each player has had their own journey towards a seat on the plane to Australia.

Tuipulotu admits he "didn't grow up dreaming of playing for Scotland or the Lions, that's the truth," before adding: "But this is where my path has led me." He speaks of feeling the need to prove his allegiance and Lowe agrees. "Obviously when you don't have the blood running through your veins, there is a little bit of that," said Lowe.