With Farrell now wearing his Lions hat, he will be keeping a close eye on the sizeable chunk of the Ireland squad for whom making the tour to Australia is a realistic ambition.
Some of Ireland’s most consistent performers in the Farrell era are highly likely to be making their Lions debuts. Scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park is a contender for the nine jersey, Andrew Porter – who missed the 2021 tour because of injury – has a reasonable claim for the loose-head prop role, while Caelan Doris has been talked about as a potential skipper after leading Ireland through November’s autumn campaign.
Tadhg Beirne, Dan Sheehan, Josh van der Flier and Hugo Keenan are others whose omissions would come as a real shock.
Then are those who will hope to create headaches for Farrell, with the Six Nations crucial in determining whether Crowley or Prendergast are ready for a Lions tour.
James Ryan, who was overlooked by Warren Gatland in 2021, will be desperate for a call-up, while the likes of Ryan Baird, Joe McCarthy and Ciaran Frawley will hope to launch themselves into contention during the Six Nations.
Sadly for Craig Casey, however, his chances of impressing Farrell before the tour have been hampered by the knee injury that will keep him out for approximately four months.
