NEW ZEALAND-BORN Denny Solomona could find himself in shock contention for this summer’s Lions Tests — playing against his home nation for the tourists.
The Sale Sharks winger has caught the eye with a series of scintillating performances in the Premiership this season.
While he is now eligible to represent England, he is yet to make his first international appearance for Eddie Jones’s side.
But that hasn’t stopped former England star Austin Healy from throwing his name into the mix for Lions selection, and Brian O’Driscoll agrees that Solomona could be the bolter of the squad.
“If you are looking at a bolter, I think Solomona is an outside bet,” BOD told Craig Doyle ahead of BT Sport’s Rugby Tonight.
“I think the type of game he brings, strong, powerful… a physical, attritional game is going to be needed down there.
Whether he has the defensive nous or knowledge yet, I’m not fully sure, but I think you could carry a winger potentially and if there was an outside bet, I think he’s not a bad one.
He added: “It’s the type of game that Solomona plays for me is the attractive aspect. He’s a big guy, brilliant finisher, and he’s up for the fight.”
BOD, who played on four Lions tours himself from 2001-2013, was also asked to rate some of the fringe Irish candidates as Warren Gatland whittles down his travelling party.
In an ultra-competitive back row, he believes Peter O’Mahony could be the one to miss out.
“Peter O’Mahony obviously had a huge game against England but he essentially hasn’t been playing for the national team.
Would he do a brilliant job for the midweek team? That’s what a lot of people are talking about. You’ve got to still pick guys that are capable, or that are within the Test reckoning. Look at Pete, when you look at the strength of the back rows, I’m not sure he features in that with the best of them.
“It will be interesting to see what happens. I think one player gets picked between Sean O’Brien, Stander and Peter O’Mahony. I don’t feel it’s likely to be Pete, and it’d be some shock if they left Stander out, but Sean O’Brien played seven in the third Test in 2013 and played very well. Warren Gatland likes him, Andy Farrell really likes him, so don’t be shocked if you see Sean O’Brien on the squad even though he hasn’t been playing the best rugby of his career.”
O’Driscoll was full of praise for O’Mahony’s man of the match performance against England, when he was parachuted into the team shortly before kick-off, but feels it still won’t be enough to see him force his way in.
“He’s absolutely an asset at lineout time. I remember talking to Paul O’Connell and he’s one of the quickest from a reaction point of view at two in the lineout. When you’re trying to guarantee yourself possession with a flat ball at 2, there’s no-one like Peter O’Mahony to contest there and disrupt ball.
“He had a field day against [England], picked a lot of ball off the back of the lineout. I think Ireland scored their one try off a ball that he took at lineout time.
“He’s a big asset from that point of view and his game is probably suited to that down in New Zealand but like I said, the strength in depth at six and eight, and seven, is remarkable and one of the key areas, one of the key battlegrounds where the Lions will have to have the impetus. I just don’t know that he squeezes in.”
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