England captain Maro Itoje’s coronation on Thursday as the Lion king is now regarded as a formality, but there will be drama and tension, shocks and raw emotion when the squad is named in London.
Around Britain and Ireland, and far beyond, hopeful players and intrigued supporters will be filled with nervous anticipation as they await confirmation of Andy Farrell’s tour party for the mission to Australia, which begins late next month.
From 2pm, the announcement will be made live on Sky Sports and via the Lions’ own YouTube channel. There will be reports, analysis and reaction on Mail Sport as the event unfolds.
Close to 2,000 spectators will be in attendance at the O2 Arena in London, along with around 200 members of accredited media.
Preparations were taking place on Wednesday to transform the venue’s Indigo room into a ‘Lions’ Den’, with a familiar red colour scheme and a giant, 16ft wide screen as the centre piece of the announcement.
Former England and Lions wing Ugo Monye and sports broadcaster Lee McKenzie will host proceedings.
Maro Itoje, above on the 2021 Lions tour of South Africa, is set to be named captain
Andy Farrell’s squad to travel to Australia will be announced on Thursday in London
As well as being used to reveal the names of the chosen men, the giant screen will show scene-setting footage before the ceremony, then reaction clips and social-media posts. Clubs and players have been encouraged to share images of the scenes as squad news emerges.
The captain will be the only player in attendance and, since Ireland skipper Caelan Doris suffered a shattering shoulder injury last Saturday, the tussle for that coveted role appears to have become a one-horse race.
Itoje has won widespread acclaim for the way he led England during the Six Nations and last night he was expected to attend a dinner with former Lions captains in London, before being unveiled as the skipper on Thursday.
From 2pm, Lions chairman Ieuan Evans will be charged with announcing a squad of between 38 and 40 players for the crusade Down Under, which culminates with three Tests against the resurgent Wallabies.
The former Wales captain will — in keeping with tradition — read out the names in alphabetical order; forwards first and then backs.
It is impossible to exaggerate the secrecy which surrounds this event. Players other than the captain — and a small contingent of absolute certainties — are genuinely in the dark. Most are reluctant to even discuss the possibility of winning selection, such is the level of superstition.
The hopefuls will learn their fate at the same time as the public — a unique scenario. Some players in contention will be with team-mates at their clubs, others will be at home with family and friends.
From the Premiership, Saracens and Northampton — who are both expected to have multiple players picked — will watch together at training grounds. Sale are another English club who could be well represented and their squad will follow proceedings while on a coach journey to Leicester, where they face the Tigers on Thursday night.
Fin Smith (left) and Marcus Smith (right) have a chance of selection for the tour
Will Henry Pollock be a Lions bolter? On Thursday he will find out if he made it
With the captaincy debate all but ended by Doris’s plight, the main area of intrigue is the identity of the chosen fly-halves. Will Farrell Snr turn to his son, Owen? Will he reward George Ford’s supreme form? Will he ignore doubts from last weekend and pick Leinster’s Sam Prendergast? Will he find space for both of England’s Smiths — Fin and Marcus?
Another fascinating sub-plot involves the new English sensation, Northampton flanker Henry Pollock. Has the rookie done enough to force his way in?
Back row is a fiercely contested area but there is still faint hope for Brive’s former England captain, Courtney Lawes. He is among those based in France hoping for a shot.
Blair Kinghorn is a certainty if fit, but he and Jack Willis are both likely to arrive late if picked, due to Toulouse commitments.
For those selected, this will be a cherished honour and a career peak, but also a lucrative tour — worth up to £100,000 each.
The Lions will have a meet-up, fit-out and admin day later this month, then a training camp in the Algarve from June 9, before facing Argentina in Dublin on June 20. The following day, they will depart for Australia, where the tour begins in Perth.
