Taulupe Faletau’s chances of making a fourth British and Irish Lions tour this summer may have increased after an injury suffered by Ireland’s Caelan Doris.
Wales No.8 Faletau has been considered an outsider to make another trip to Australia for much of the season due to his own injury issues.
But the 34-year-old has recently returned to both fitness and form for his club Cardiff and was a stand-out performer in their recent win over Munster.
Faletau has only played 11 matches in the last 18 months, but he has managed to play four Six Nations games and three URC or Challenge Cup games in the past 12 weeks.
That could prompt Lions head coach Andy Farrell to pencil the expereinced back row forward in for another tour of duty and figuring in the squads for 2013, 2017 and 2021.
Otyher Wales players with realistic hopes of inclusion when the squad is named on Thursday include Jac Morgan, Tomos Williams, Nicky Smith, Blair Murray and Dewi Lake.
Hopes that Ireland captain Doris would lead the Lions on their summer tour have been thrown into uncertainty, after Leinster confirmed on Monday that the influential back rower will undergo shoulder surgery this week.
Doris sustained the injury during Leinster’s narrow 37-34 Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints on Saturday, a match in which he scored a try before being forced off.
While the full extent of the damage is still unclear, it is serious enough to rule him out of this weekend’s United Rugby Championship fixture against Zebre and, potentially, the remainder of the season.
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A statement from Leinster confirmed: “Caelan Doris will have a procedure this week on a shoulder injury and a further assessment will be carried out afterwards.”
Leinster senior coach Jacques Nienaber offered a sobering assessment when speaking to media later that day.
“He saw a specialist and I think there's some further investigation that needs to be done,” said Nienaber.
“Fingers crossed that things aren't as bad as we think it is, but in the last couple of months that I've worked with Caelan, he's not a guy that necessarily comes off the pitch with injury.
“So when I subjectively saw him coming off the pitch on Saturday, I thought in my mind, 'that must be quite serious'.
“We'll probably know more in the back end of the week, but my gut – and it's only gut – says that I think it might be serious, but fingers crossed it might not be.”
Whether Farrell will name him in the Lions squad, due to be announced on Thursday, remains to be seen.
Doris had been widely tipped as a leading candidate for the Lions captaincy, with England lock Maro Itoje also mentioned as a potential skipper.
Should Doris be ruled out entirely, the door could open for the likes of Faletau or England’s Tom Willis to come into the frame.
The Lions will open their campaign with a warm-up match against Argentina on June 20 in Dublin, before embarking on their Australian tour, which features six fixtures against local sides ahead of the three-Test series against the Wallabies.
The first Test is scheduled for July 19 in Brisbane, followed by games in Melbourne and Sydney.
The Lions' plans have been further complicated by an injury to Owen Farrell.
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The Racing 92 playmaker was forced off after just 19 minutes of his side’s Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Lyon with a head injury, after a collision with Mickael Guillard’s hip.
Farrell, 33, a veteran of three Lions tours, had been considered a possible inclusion in his father Andy’s squad despite a season disrupted by a groin issue.
His latest setback, though, may significantly dent those chances.
June 20 -- British & Irish Lions vs. Argentina
June 28 -- Western Force vs. British & Irish Lions
July 2 -- Queensland Reds vs. British & Irish Lions
July 5 -- NSW Waratahs vs. British & Irish Lions
July 9 -- ACT Brumbies vs. British & Irish Lions
July 12 -- Australia & New Zealand Invitational XV vs. British & Irish Lions
July 19 -- Australia vs. British & Irish Lions
July 22 -- First Nations & Pasifika XV vs. British & Irish Lions
July 26 -- Australia vs. British & Irish Lions
Aug. 2 -- Australia vs. British & Irish Lions
