Andy Farrell: Heat of battle will tell all

Andy Farrell likes the look of the Lions squad he helped pick but admits head coach Warren Gatland will only discover on tour whether the chosen ones have the right stuff to beat the All Blacks.

Ireland’s defence coach, who is embarking on his third Lions expedition this summer, believes taking on the world champions in New Zealand will be the ultimate test of the players’ character and that would only be revealed when the 41 players from four countries come together for six weeks in June and July.

So while he agrees with Gatland that this is the strongest group of players assembled in their time on the Lions staff, there is still no way of telling.