Lawes' bold Lions statement after Farrell breathes new life into hopes

Former England captain Courtney Lawes is “pretty confident” that he can work his way into the British and Irish Lions XV if he is given a chance by Andy Farrell later this year, but admits his chances of a third tour are “slim”.

Despite now being retired from international rugby and plying his trade in France’s second division with Brive, Lawes remains in the conversation to be selected for the Lions’ tour of Australia at the end of the season.

The 36-year-old’s chances perhaps diminished over the Guinness Six Nations with some high-calibre performances from various back-rows, particularly by his compatriots, but the fact that people are still considering him as an option is testament to how highly regarded he remains.

The five-cap Lion was given fresh hope of making another tour on Wednesday when Farrell said that he is “open-minded” about selecting France-based players, despite the Top 14 season overlapping with the Lions tour (though the Pro D2 season ends earlier).

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“We’re open-minded about all of that,” Farrell said when asked about selecting players based in France. “As we start to whittle it down, the dynamics become a little bit different.

“But we don’t know whether we’re going to have sufficient players in certain positions where we’re able to get on a plane and somebody could join us for game three, etc.

“We could even have a conversation with some clubs over there and they might release them.”

Shortly after these statements by Farrell, former England scrum-half Danny Care shared a conversation he had with Lawes on his Hits Different podcast, where he asked whether the Northampton Saints legend would be open to playing for the Lions again.

“Of course I would, abso-bloody-lutely,” Lawes swiftly responded.

“It’s a slim chance, but if I can get on that tour, I’m pretty confident I can work my way onto that team. That’s all I want.”

Farrell will name his squad on May 8.