Andy Farrell is open to selecting French players, including his son Owen, for the British and Irish Lions' summer tour of Australia.
Farrell confirmed on Wednesday that Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Dalziel, John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman would be his assistants for the visit to Australia, and he immediately turned his attention to selecting his squad.
An initial longlist of around 75 names was drawn up by the management team during their first meeting at London's Rosewood Hotel on Tuesday.
The discussions involved teams playing in the Top 14, but the French league schedule means that anyone who reaches the final will miss the first two matches in Dublin and Perth.
Toulouse's Blair Kinghorn and Jack Willis are likely to be involved in the game, while Kyle Sinclair, Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell are also representing clubs across the Channel.
“We're open to all possibilities,” said Farrell, who will announce the final lineup on May 8.
“We can discuss with some clubs, maybe they will release their players. These issues will continue to be discussed.
“It's just the dynamic of what the team needs as we get to the point where we have to make a decision on May 8.”
The identities of the three midfielders are among the hottest topics, with Owen Farrell remaining in the mix despite his debut season at Racing 92 being derailed by a groin injury and poor form at the club.
When Andy Farrell was asked about the possibility of his son being included in the squad for the trip to Australia, he replied: “It's the same as everyone else. He's just coming back from an injury. You keep an eye on everything, so yeah.”
The Lions' coaching staff includes representatives from every country except Wales, who suffered a second successive Six Nations defeat, making it 17 in a row.
Farrell has refused to take nationality into account when selecting his assistants and will take a similar approach when forming his squad.
“I understand it's idealistic for everyone (to represent all four countries), but surely it has to be based on the merits of who's eligible?” he said.
“Imagine you didn't send
Sourse: breakingnews.ie
