Former Ireland head coach Eddie O'Sullivan is hopeful that Leinster's Garry Ringrose is on the standby list for the upcoming British & Irish Lions squad.
The attritional nature of what is to come this summer in New Zealand means replacements are likely to be called up during the tour and a standby list of about a dozen names is being considered by head coach Warren Gatland.
Presumably, Ringrose is on that list as he was namechecked by Gatland and deemed to be "unlucky" not to make the original official squad for the tour.
"You'd like to think Ringrose is on the shortlist and it's one of these like O'Driscoll back in Australia in his first Lions tour, was a bolter really and then set the world alight. You feel that's in Ringrose," said O'Sullivan on Off The Ball.
"We all want to think that's the dream story, that he'll land on his first Lions tour and light it up."
O'Sullivan also highlighted that Ringrose's ability has been about consistency rather than spectacular moments.
"Ringrose hasn't put a foot wrong this year. He hasn't put a foot wrong for Ireland," he said.
"He's incredibly stable in his game. The thing I liked about Ringrose all season, he didn't do anything wildly spectacular. He had a great try down in Clermont but if you look at his game over the season, it's just his ability to deliver at a very high level consistently. That's what makes him the player he is, with very limited experience under his belt. That's the great thing about him.
"Whether Warren Gatland sees that as someone he can parachute in for a potential test game in New Zealand, you'd like to think so. But it will be very attritional in New Zealand, the weather won't be good and he's already saying that it's kind of maybe leaning against them."
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