Lions lifeline: Eighty minutes to secure a tour ticket to Australia

Warren Gatland has absorbed much advice over the last 12 months in relation to what he should and shouldn’t do on the 2013 Lions tour to Australia.

Central to that is not only the importance of getting selection right in terms of who to pick in his squad, but also when to pick it.

The 1993 party to tour New Zealand was selected the day after the final round of games in that season’s Five Nations championship when, against all odds, Ireland beat England 17-3 and Wales were hammered by France in Paris. Scotland had no game that weekend and benefited generously from that lack of exposure. A lot of players were picked on the basis of what happened on that final weekend proved not to be up to the task.