Monday 26 June 2017 12:04, UK
Last Tuesday, Liam Williams and Elliot Daly forced their way into the Test reckoning for the Lions with positive displays against the Chiefs, can anyone do the same against the Hurricanes?
With the Lions having lost the opening Test of the series with New Zealand on Saturday, Warren Gatland is unlikely to go with the same XV he started in Auckland.
The likes of Maro Itoje and Sam Warburton are high on a lot of people's lists to come into the starting team, having begun the first Test as replacements, but can any of the midweek Lions catch Gatland's eye?
Four years ago, Wales blindside flanker Dan Lydiate captained the midweek team against the Melbourne Rebels between the first two Tests against Australia. His performance was so good, Gatland catapulted him straight into the starting team for Saturday.
That is the aim for each and every player who lines out at the Westpac Stadium in Wellington on Tuesday. These are five who just might pull it off...
1. Rory Best (Hooker)
The captain for the midweek fixture that falls between the first two Tests this time around is Ireland skipper Rory Best.
Two areas the Lions need to improve ahead of their second meeting with the All Blacks are the breakdown and the scrum, two facets Best excels at from hooker.
Extremely strong over the ball, Best is usually good for at least one breakdown turnover a game, while his cleanout work is vicious and work rate top notch.
Added to that, former provincial and international teammate Stephen Ferris told Sky Sports on Saturday that Best is the "best scrummaging hooker in the world", something ex-Lion captain Paul O'Connell has also previously attested to.
The 34-year-old came on tour as many people's front-runner to start the Tests, particularly having led Ireland to that famous win over New Zealand in Chicago. As was the case four years ago, though, things just haven't fallen for him as yet.
A couple of missed and crooked throws at lineout time have cast him in a negative light, but Lions fly-half Dan Biggar explained to Sky Sports News HQ how the Ulsterman has led well throughout, and a strong performance on Tuesday could see him named among Saturday's matchday 23.
2. Courtney Lawes (Second-row)
The poorest area in the Lions team on Saturday was arguably the second-row, where Alun Wyn Jones looked off the pace until he was replaced, and George Kruis endured his worst performance on tour to date.
With that in mind, Itoje would appear a shoe-in to start the next Test, but Gatland could make further changes to his second-row stocks based on showings in Tuesday's game.
Kruis is on the bench for the Hurricanes clash, which could possibly be indicative of his performance over the weekend, while Courtney Lawes has a real chance to put his best foot forward.
Lawes struggled somewhat at the beginning of the tour, failing to impose himself in his start against the Blues and suffering a sickening head knock against the Highlanders. After that, he came back with a vengeance against the Chiefs where he was utterly superb and one of the best players on the pitch.
If he can replicate that display this week, the chances are very high he will be named as one of three locks in the Test squad.
3. CJ Stander (Back-row)
Among those tipped to start in the Tests before the tour began, Stander just hasn't been able to force his way into the reckoning to date, due mainly in part to the superb performances of messrs Peter O'Mahony, Sean O'Brien and Taulupe Faletau.
While none of that trio performed poorly on Saturday, the chances are Gatland will reinstate tour skipper Warburton to the starting XV, both to freshen things up and in response to the fact the Welsh flanker just does not provide explosive impact off the bench. It is this which could see Stander nip into the squad.
The Munster back-row looked to be carrying a knock on his ankle at the beginning of the tour and consequently appeared to play with the proverbial handbrake up a tad. His displays have largely been strong, though, and after reaching somewhere near his peak against the Chiefs, he was unlucky not to be the bench impact for the first Test.
If he plays to his powerful best on Tuesday, Gatland may not be able to ignore him any longer.
4. Jonathan Joseph (Centre)
Joseph's absence from the last midweek squad against the Chiefs led many to believe he would be involved in the number 23 shirt against the All Blacks.
Leigh Halfpenny got the nod to bench, however, and Joseph finds himself starting on Tuesday alongside Robbie Henshaw. After the Six Nations, that centre combination could easily have been viewed as the prospective first-choice pairing, but on tour Ben Te'o has taken his chance while Joseph and Henshaw haven't.
The Bath man showed brilliant pace to score against the Highlanders, but has also been subject defensively. Should he stand out against a talented Hurricanes backline and play to his creative best, a Test squad place could be his. Because Halfpenny just doesn't provide the required impact as a replacement.
Add to that his comments on Sunday, saying he is ready to do a job on the wing if it means forcing his way into the Lions' Test side, and the number 23 shirt is within reach if he performs, one imagines.
5. George North (Wing)
Four years ago, North was one of the first names on the team sheet. Now, he is in serious risk of finishing the tour with no Test caps.
In his two appearances to date against the Crusaders and Maori All Blacks, North has largely been absent and his aerial work has been nowhere near good enough. The 25-year-old just hasn't looked the rampaging beast he can be.
Unlike fellow back-three players Williams, Daly and Anthony Watson, who have thrived with ball in hand on tour, North just hasn't shown up and heads into Tuesday's clash under a lot of pressure.
In truth, North has been inconsistent for the past few years, frequently mixing the bad with the good for Wales. He has change in the bank with Gatland though, and a powerful performance on Tuesday could see him come back in from the cold.
As well as these five, honourable mentions must go to Iain Henderson, whose impact off the bench against the Chiefs gives Gatland something to think about, Justin Tipuric, whose pace and vision could be viewed as the missing back-row ingredient and Henshaw, who performed so magnificently against the All Blacks in November and has the capability to be devastating in midfield.
It's an open field with all to play for. There are shirts to be won.
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