It's the first weekend since the Six Nations concluded with French glory and already attention has turned to this summer's Lions Tour Down Under.
Barring the weight a handful of Premiership and European games may hold, Andy Farrell will now be tasked with dissecting the Six Nations performances of the Home Nations to select a squad capable of taking on Joe Schmidt's Australia.
It is not only form Farrell must consider, but also how the team will gel, how each subgroup of the XV can work together and complement each other's game, who will lead, and who will be the right man for his opposite Wallaby.
Few, if any know that better than Sam Warburton who captained both the 2013 and the 2017 Lions tours to Australia and New Zealand, the first of which made him the youngest-ever captain of a test Lions side.
READ ALSO: 'It Wrecks My Head': O'Callaghan Slams 'Irish Mentality' After Six Nations
READ ALSO: 5 Takeaways From Ireland’s Heartbreaking Loss to France in Six Nations Opener
2 February 2024; Tadhg Beirne, left, and Joe McCarthy of Ireland during the Guinness Six Nations Rugby Championship match between France and Ireland at the Stade Velodrome in Marseille, France. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
No Irish locks included in Sam Warburton's Lions XV.
Speaking on punditry duty with TNT Sports after Bath's Premiership win over Gloucester, the Wales legend was tasked by Craig Doyle with selecting his XV for the first test in Australia.
In total five Irish players made the cut. Dan Sheehan, Tadhg Furlong and Caelan Doris all got the nod in the pack, while Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe were the two Irish representatives in the backfield.
While the Irish centres and Hugo Keenan may be somewhat miffed by their omission, the real surprise came in the second row where Warburton selected England's George Martin to start over Tadhg Furlong.
Justifying the decision, Warburton said: 'When I mentioned about a bang in the second row, I think he's been very much out of sight, out of mind. But George Martin when he is fully fit he bangs like no other second-row, he is so physical. I think you need to have that complementary pair."
🗒️ Craig Doyle, Sam Warburton and David Flatman select their British & Irish Lions teams.
What do you reckon? pic.twitter.com/JNPvV1rpbV
— Rugby on TNT Sports (@rugbyontnt) March 23, 2025
Obviously surprised by the decision, however, Irishman Craig Doyle pressed his punditry panel of Warbuton and Bath legend David Flatman to justify leaving the Munster captain Tadhg Beirne out of the side.
Asked whether Tadhg Beirne's form 'over the course of the Six Nations' was an argument for his inclusion over Martin's, Flatman was in little doubt, citing Beirne's consistent brilliance.
Over the course of forever you could argue Tadhg Beirne.
These two are very very different players, George Martin is a very high end turbo diesel that you pick and he just goes and goes, heavy traffic big collissions.
Tadhg Beirne is a rugby brain, he has magic moments in him, key turnovers, wonderful handling. Yes he's big and physical, not as big and physical as George Martin but he's a baller. He's an abolsute baller and does amazing things all over the field.
If you aksed him to kick, he'd probably kick as well as anyone else too. He's a brilliant player.
Surprisingly, despite the glittering praise Flatman could not find room for Beirne in his side either, instead opting for McCarthy to line out alongside dead-set Maro Itoje.
Explaining the more palpable selection to Irish fans, Flatman said it was 'the hardest' decision he had to make in the side.
The one player I found it the hardest to leave out is Tadhg Beirne. I have Joe McCarthy in the second row, Tadhg Beirne on the bench because he's such a good second row/backrow option coming off the bench.
Given their exploits in recent years, it would be massively surprising to see neither of the aforementioned Irish locks in the starting Lions XV, however, Down Under just anything can happen and only time will tell just how much Irish representation there will be in Andy Farrell's Lions.
Flatman opted to include six Irishmen in his selection. Dan Sheehan, McCarthy and Caelan Doris were selected in the forwards, while Jamison Gibson-Park and James Lowe were joined by Bundee Aki in the backline.
SEE ALSO: Munster Fans Will Love Stephen Jones's Outhalf Selections For 2025 Lions Squad
