Lions' back-row depth leaves Jack Conan 'nervous'

Jack Conan admits the British and Irish Lions squad are feeling the tension as Andy Farrell prepares to reveal who has claimed the ultimate prize of a Test place against Australia.

Six matches into their tour, all of them producing wins except the Dublin curtain-raiser against Argentina, and the Lions management have finalised selection for Saturday’s series opener at Suncorp Stadium.

The players will be told who has made the matchday 23 at a meeting on Wednesday and Conan believes the performances delivered over the last four weeks have not made selection easy.

“Everyone will be a bit nervous, but everyone has gone incredibly well, especially in the back-row,” said Conan, who is expected to be named at No.8 when the team is officially announced on Thursday.

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“It’s tough for the coaches, I’m sure, and hopefully we’ve given them plenty of headaches over the last while. No matter who’s been out there, they’ve taken their opportunity really well.

“It’s about those lads who get to run out at the weekend to do right by the lads who aren’t playing.

“It’s going to be unbelievably special to play the first Test so hopefully everyone can make the most of it.”

No area of the team has been more competitive than the back-row, with Conan the closest thing to a certainty given he is the only specialist No.8 in the 44-man squad in Australia.

England duo Ollie Chessum and Tom Curry just hold the edge in the race to be picked as flankers, but Farrell is blessed with options in both positions.

“There’s huge amounts of class and talent in the back-row. It’s been great to get to know the lads, to learn off them, to see how they do things and to push each other on as well,” Conan said.

“That level of talent pushes everyone on to be your best and I think everyone has been at their best. No one can say they’ve been poor over the last few weeks.

“Especially in the back-row, the standard has been unbelievably high, so it’s been a joy to play with the lads and get to know them.”