By far the easiest position to pick for the squad is the centres. Four will travel, and the top four contenders are head and shoulder-pads above the rest of the competition. The only question is who will be the test pairing, and that should be a hotly contested race.

Based on class and form, the obvious choices are Brian O’Driscoll, Manu Tuilagi, Jamie Roberts, and Jonathan Davies. There are simply no other candidates who have the requisite experience and international presence to challenge them. Amazingly some ‘pundits’ have written off O’Driscoll because of age and injury, but who else would take his spot? Similarly Roberts has had up and down form, but at his best he has unmatched physicality and a winning attitude. Make no mistake, these will be Warren Gatland’s preferred midfield options.

Given that three of those are essentially specialist outside centres, you would think that Roberts has the inside track on the no12 jersey, but that might not necessarily be the case. Certainly there have been suggestions that O’Driscoll be moved inside for both Leinster and Ireland for some time, and with his skills he could make a very good fist of it. Tuilagi has played there before, but he is not the type to put the ball through the hands and all of his best rugby has been played at no13. Davies, on the other hand, has good footballing skills and has experience at both centres, and despite playing for a considerably less fashionable club side he has been the most consistent centre in Lions territory for some time.

Of the reserves, should any of these players fall foul of fitness, the Welsh duo of Ashley Beck and Scott Williams have performed reasonably well at international level. Brad Barritt has done the job for England and could do so if called upon, and his closest competitor in country Billy Twelvetrees has the ability to make things happen, though much will depend on who is preferred in the Six Nations. On past form you would have expected Jonathan Joseph to pose a threat, but he has become persona non grata at London Irish in recent days and appears to be well out of the conversation at this juncture.

Ireland still feature former tourists Gordon D’Arcy and Keith Earls, but you would hardly think either would be given any more than an emergency thought this time around. What of Scottish hopefuls? Are there any? The answer, as always it seems, is no. There has not been a challenger from those parts since Alan Tait in 1997, and none of the current class looks capable of setting down a challenge any time soon, though whispers have been made that Glasgow prospect Mark Bennett might be up for it one day.

And what of dear old Gavin Henson? Shattered dreams, tanning oil, and little more.

Pack Your Bags
12 – Jamie Roberts
13 – Manu Tuilagi, Jonathan Davies, Brian O’Driscoll

There Or Thereabouts
12 – Brad Barritt, Billy Twelvetrees, Scott Williams, Ashley Beck
13 – Keith Earls