Lions watch - Russell at fly-half & Itoje captain?

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The men's Six Nations is done and dusted for another year but which players put their hand up for British and Irish Lions selection?

The Lions tour Australia this summer and performances during the Six Nations are likely to dictate selection, with head coach Andy Farrell naming his squad on Thursday, 8 May.

BBC pundits John Barclay and Sam Warburton have named their final Lions XVs but how different are their choices to when they picked their sides after the opening round of the tournament?

Former Scotland captain Barclay has selected a team including five Englishmen, five Scotsmen, four Irishmen and one Welshman.

In total, he has made seven alterations from the side he picked after round one.

England's dominance in the set-piece has resulted in props Ellis Genge and Will Stuart replacing Ireland's Andrew Porter and Scotland's Zander Fagerson, the latter missing out despite making the fourth-highest number of carries (57) in the tournament.

"The main change is Stuart and Genge," said Barclay.

"[England produced] The best scrummaging performance throughout the championship. Stuart has such a low penalty count and gets through so much good work, and it's the same for Genge - the nuts and bolts of his game are superb."

The engine room in the second row remains the same, with Barclay suggesting England captain Maro Itoje is a Lions skipper in waiting.

In the back row, Barclay has named Jac Morgan in his side despite Wales' run of 17 consecutive defeats and a second Wooden Spoon in as many years.

Morgan made a tournament high 88 tackles, while only Itoje arrived at more rucks on both sides of the ball.

The Welshman replaces Scotland's Rory Darge, who made more cleanouts than any other player (45) but Barclay says Morgan could reach greater heights in the Lions set-up.

"I had Rory Darge in the back row but I think he has fallen off slightly. Jac Morgan has played in a Wales side that is struggling, but he has stood out. Imagine him with the quality of [Lions] players and that coaching structure around him."

In the backs, Barclay selected five Scotsmen, including Finn Russell at fly-half.

Centre Sione Tuipulotu was ruled out of the tournament with a pectoral injury but Barclay has opted for his countryman, who is expected to return before the end of the season, while England's Ollie Lawrence has dropped out of contention after suffering an unfortunate Achilles rupture.

Barclay has picked Tuipulotu at inside centre, outside Russell and inside Huw Jones in an all-Scottish midfield, with Blair Kinghorn selected at full-back and Duhan van der Merwe on the wing.

Warburton, who captained the Lions to a series victory on their last visit to Australia in 2013, has selected a team of five Englishmen, five Irishmen, three Scots and two Welshmen.

In total, Warburton has made eight changes in personnel from his team of round one, with Fagerson again missing out in the front row, replaced by Tadhg Furlong, who played his first Test since July in Ireland's final day victory over Italy.

Furlong missed Ireland's first four games of the competition with a hamstring and calf issue but former Wales captain Warburton says the prop has enough "credit in the bank".

"There is a lot of rugby to be played between now and the tour," said Warburton.

"If Furlong gets five games for Leinster and three games on the tour, he rolls into a Test series with eight games under his belt. If he gets fit, I think his ceiling is higher than any other tighthead."

England's George Martin also replaces veteran Irishman Tadhg Beirne in the second row, alongside Warburton's choice for captain Itoje, despite the Leicester Tigers forward missing England's past three matches with a knee issue.

"I've gone with Martin because I think physicality wins up front and he brings that grunt," said Warburton.

"He got injured against France [in round two] but I think he is the best enforcer on the home isles."

Like Barclay, Warburton has also chosen a half-back pairing of Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park and Scotland's Russell, who had some nice touches with ball in hand but crucially missed what would have been a match-winning conversion against England.

Warburton says a returning Tuipulotu in midfield could hold the key to Russell's success Down Under.

"Russell has been exceptional for Bath and they have been probably been the most physical team in the Premiership this season," he added.

"It will be his third tour as well so he's vastly experienced to hold the reins at 10.

"If you put him outside Gibson-Park and with Tuipulotu on his shoulder, playing behind that pack, it will enhance him even more.

"He is the most naturally gifted 10 we have and he could go to another level again."

Tommy Freeman is chosen on the wing after his impressive tournament in which he became the first England player to score a try in every game of a Six Nations campaign, while Wales full-back Blair Murray is Warburton's "curveball" selection.

The New Zealand-born Welshman, is picked ahead of namesake Kinghorn, who made a tournament-leading nine line breaks alongside 575m gained and 13 offloads.

"Before the tournament, I was asked who the best newcomer would be and I said Blair Murray," said Warburton.

"He didn't get picked in the first game so that didn't go too well but he comes from a great pedigree with the Canterbury Crusaders.

"He is an exceptional athlete, has a counter-attack ability, is good under the high ball and brave in defence.

"It's the toss of a coin between him and Blair Kinghorn, who has been excellent as well and got better as the tournament wore on."

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