"Nailed on starter" - Tommy Freeman one of five Lions hopefuls that impressed this weekend

Competition: Get a Chance to Watch the Lions in Australia

The fabled 'sea of red' will descend upon the famous venue, as a roll call of the Home Nations' top stars will be read out to join the world's most iconic touring team. This past weekend, we witnessed the semi-final stages of the Investec Champions Cup and the EPCR Challenge Cup, as Northampton Saints and Bath continued to fly the Premiership flag with successful progressions towards their respective finals.

Northampton Saints pulled off the ultimate underdog win, as the pundits had handed Leinster the foregone conclusion of a fourth consecutive Champions Cup Final before the opening whistle. The Saints went toe-toe-toe with the Irish heavyweights, and rocked the Aviva Stadium with a stunning 37-34 away win. A trio of Saints stars make their way onto our Lions hopefuls who impressed, with no prizes for guessing the first name on our XV to face the Wallabies this Summer.

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Bath continued on with their dominance of the EPCR Challenge Cup, with dreams of an unprecedented treble still burning true across Somerset. Bath bagged the Premiership Rugby Cup title back in March and currently sit atop the Premiership table, with a home semi-final all but confirmed for the blue, black and whites. Johann van Graan's side toppled Edinburgh at the Scottish capital cathedral this past weekend, with a 39-24 win booking their trip to Cardiff for the Challenge Cup Final.

So, with less than 48 hours to go before Farrell names his Lions squad to head 'down under', we've picked out the five players that impressed once again ahead of the upcoming announcement. With plenty for Northampton and Bath fans to sing about this past weekend, here's our picks ahead of Thursday.

It's that man again. Tommy Freeman has forced any doubters to believe the hype, with the Northampton Saints and England wing seemingly nailed on for a place in the starting Lions test XV this Summer. A hat-trick of tries in the Saints' incredible win in Dublin, Freeman combined his devastating finishing ability with some unstoppable carries and offloads from along the touch-line. Freeman got the better of his predicted Lions teammate James Lowe in their positional clash, in what was yet another star making performance from the 24-year-old flyer.

Covering the match for RUCK in Dublin was Cameron Archibald, who wrote; "Freeman’s first-half hat-trick against Leinster in one of the Champions Cup’s all-time classics has cemented his place on the tour of Australia. The Northampton man put his opposition to the sword with darting runs and unstoppable pace, rightly earning the man of the match award.

"The 24-year-old is coming off the back of a brilliant Six Nations, as well as having the versatility to slot in at full back or centre. Freeman will, in my opinion, be one of the first names on Andy Farrell’s team sheet come July, having locked down the 14 shirt ahead of Ireland’s James Lowe and Scotland’s Darcy Graham with a scintillating display at the Aviva."

Check his pulse, there's ice in his veins. Henry Pollock took the headlines once again, with another unique celebration that has gotten the rugby landscape talking.

But the back-rower's brilliance is far more than an eye-catching pose, or the audacity of cracking out the Conor McGregor strut in the heart of Dublin; he is steadily establishing himself as a generational talent with serious contention for the Lions tour.

The highlight of the 20-year-old's match this past weekend, saw him collect the ball on the half-way mark, skip past double-world cup winner RG Snyman, and fend Ireland's golden halfback Sam Prendergast to the deck. Pollock raced away to score a tide-turning try in the Champions Cup semi-final, with his plaudits rightfully waxing lyrical about the one-capped England star. Whilst this try was nothing short of brilliant, Pollock's efforts were all-round superb in the hard-fought and gritty win in the Irish capital.

Cameron Archibald wrote; "Pollock has burst onto the scene this season at Northampton and once again put in a strong showing as his side overcame Leinster in Dublin. With several turnovers, crunching tackles and an electric try which saw him dance past fellow Lions hopeful Sam Prendergast, the young flanker could find himself carrying the stuffed lion on tour down under.

"The 20-year-old phenom rarely fails to make an immediate impact. He scored a hat-trick on his England U20 debut, two on his senior international bow and one on his Champions Cup debut earlier this season. Pollock's place on tour could be aided by a shoulder injury picked up by Leinster and Ireland captain Caelan Doris at the weekend, and the Saints man told Ruck he’ll be waiting for a call from Andy Farrell on Thursday."

A late entry into Lions contention, but an entry all the same. It's better late than never for Mosese Tuipulotu, who exploded out of the early goings in the Challenge Cup semi-final defeat to Bath.

Listed as one of the substitutes for the semi-final, Tuipulotu was flung into the fray after just four minutes, following the early injury to Edinburgh wing Harry Paterson. The Scotland A capped high-flyer lit up the Edinburgh stadium with some tremendous carries, and capped off his afternoon with a well taken try after just 18 minutes.

The former Super Rugby star has made a last-minute bid to be involved upon the Lions, in the hopes of a return to his home country of Australia. The former Waratahs man was born and raised in Melbourne, and with both Scottish and Tongan heritage, Tuipulotu's international brings a global mix to his on-field style.

Whilst it could be a long shot to see Mosese join his brother Sione in the Lions squad, the future Scotland star did himself plenty of favours to make his Scotland debut this Summer. Gregor Townsend's side take on Fiji, Samoa and the Maori All Blacks in June and July, in what could be the making of Mosese Tuipulotu's international breakthrough.

Among the forgotten sons for the 2025 Lions tour, Sam Underhill reminded all onlookers as to why he should be in Andy Farrell's plans for the upcoming trip 'down under'.

The England back row was ruled out of the 2025 Guinness Six Nations after undergoing ankle surgery, yet Underhill has been pushing back to his best since returning in blue, black and white at the end of March. Underhill's latest outing was his finest this side of his operation, and was widely regarded as the best player of the semi-final victory.

Starring on the openside of the Bath back row, Underhill was awarded the Player of the Match award after his involvement around the park in both attack and defence. The 41-capped England man starred at the line-out and bagged himself a try get his side a stronghold in the match. 14 carries and 13 tackles later and Underhill had played a pivotal part to Bath's triumph, with the Somerset club back in the hunt for a first European title since 2008. Whilst the likes of Henry Pollock, Josh van der Flier and Jack Willis starred on the Champions Cup stage, Underhill was the top back row Lions contender from the Challenge Cup.

Last week it was Finn Russell who got our Lions hopeful plaudits, as the flying Scotsman booked Bath into the final four of the Challenge Cup. This week we recognise the Herculean efforts of young England star Fin Smith, who guided his Northampton Saints brothers to their first Champions Cup Final since 2011. Smith started off his afternoon in style, as he stubbed through a perfectly waited grubber kick for Tommy Freeman to chase, gather and score. Smith went tee-to-tee with his Lions rival Sam Prendergast, and had a far stronger afternoon out of the two respective 10s, with 12 points to his name and a strong defensive effort.

Even with a Lions tour around the corner, Smith threw caution to the wind and put his body on the line time and again for his club, in what optimised his selfless approach to victory. Smith lined up and chopped the likes of RG Snyman, Caelan Doris and Andrew Porter out in the sun-drenched Dublin pitch, with his defensive capabilities only emulated by his Lions rival Jack Crowley. A Lions call-up would be dutifully deserved for Fin Smith, as England's new line-leader caps off a coming-of-age season.