"Hopes over" - Four players who FLOPPED on their final Lions audition

 moment for Sam Prendergast—the prodigy set to carry Irish rugby into the next era. Instead, the 21-year-old was ruthlessly exposed by Northampton in the Champions Cup semi-final.

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While some players are surging into the spotlight, these names may have seen the red jersey slip through their fingers at the worst possible time.

Owen Farrell’s bid for a fourth Lions tour may have ended in painful, poetic fashion—on French soil, 18 minutes into Racing 92’s Challenge Cup semi-final against Lyon.

Stationed at inside centre and captaining the Parisians, the 112-cap England veteran was forced off with a head injury before the first quarter was done. With his father and Lions head coach Andy Farrell watching closely, it was a brutal blow to his already fragile chances.

As 

MailSport’s Chris Foy bluntly put it: “Surely, that must be the end of that element of the 10 debate.”

With the squad due this Thursday and Farrell now ineligible for England, the signs all point to this being one battle he won’t win—especially after Racing’s dismal 29-15 defeat, where they barely fired a shot.

Remember when Marcus Smith skipped Harlequins’ clash with Saracens to soak up the sun in Miami? Since then, Quins have slumped to four straight defeats, including an eye-watering 62-0 mauling at the hands of Leinster.

His latest outing? A limp 40-7 loss to Leicester, with Smith playing through the pain, ankle heavily strapped, and barely able to influence the game. There were glimpses—some smart kicking into the Tigers’ 22—but the fizz was gone.

And let's not forget Borthwick’s baffling decision to stick him at fullback during the Six Nations. Smith’s spark has flickered just when Farrell needed to see fireworks.

I remain hopeful that Farrell will select him, although such a decision would not be supported by his recent form.

You can't fault Jamie Ritchie's fight—the Scotland flanker was all over the scraps in Edinburgh’s defeat to Bath, including a full-blooded bust-up with Sam Underhill.

But test-level Lions don’t just bring heat—they deliver dominance. Ritchie couldn’t get near the breakdown battle and never grabbed the game by the scruff of the neck.

Once tipped to lead the Lions into battle, he now looks more likely to be watching it on TV.

This was supposed to be the

A soft turnover inside 10 minutes. A horror kick leading to a Saints try. A missed shot at goal that would’ve tied it late on. Even his one bright moment—a sweet assist for Tommy O’Brien—was quickly overshadowed as he was torched on the outside by teenage sensation Henry Pollock.

Farrell loves a bolter, but this one might need a bit more seasoning first.