With only one more game left to play in this year’s Six Nations, time is running out for any players wishing to stake a claim for the British and Irish Lions.
As soon as the championship finishes this weekend, attention will then turn to Andy Farrell and who he will pick for the tour of Australia in the summer.
Chances are, Farrell has already made up his mind on a lot of those selection calls. The Lions squad is likely to be dominated by Ireland players whom Farrell knows so well.
England and Scotland will each have a few players in there as well, with a couple of Welsh guys such as Jac Morgan also in with a shout.
But as another Six Nations campaign draws to an end, it’s hard to avoid the feeling that the Lions dream could be slipping away for several Scotland players.
Sure, they might still go on the tour. But have they done enough to force their way into a starting XV and become Test Lions? Doubtful.
Darcy Graham is among those who may have missed their best chance to impress Andy Farrell
Blair Kinghorn evades a tackle in Scotland’s victory against Wales at Murrayfield on Saturday
Scotland’s Finn Russell is likely to play an important role on the Lions tour this summer
Their body of work in this year’s championship just isn’t there. Two scratchy and unconvincing wins over Italy and Wales simply won’t cut it.
If those end up being Scotland’s only two wins this year, it’s hard to think many players will have strengthened their claims in the eyes of Farrell.
Turn the clock back four years ago. Building up to the tour of South Africa in 2021, Scotland had a strong Six Nations.
They won away at Twickenham and beat France in Paris. Those were two statement results which were impossible to ignore.
In the end, Scotland had eight players who went on the tour of South Africa. Their performances and results demanded selection.
But that’s not the case this time around. Overall, they’ve had a poor championship. The opportunity is passing them by.
On Saturday against Wales at Murrayfield, Scotland played well for 50 minutes and stretched their lead to 35-8. They were dominant.
At that point, it looked like they might go on and win by a record margin. Scotland played with terrific width and pace.
Finn Russell was pulling the strings and orchestrating things in attack. They were cutting through Wales at will.
As for the last half-hour? Scotland fell off a cliff. They so very nearly blew it against a Welsh side who came roaring back.
Switching off in games and hitting cruise control isn’t a problem that’s exclusive to Scotland. In Dublin at the weekend, France lost two late tries to slightly take the gloss off what had been an emphatic win over Ireland.
Ireland were able to restore some respectability to the scoreline despite being totally outplayed.
But these mid-game drop-offs happen too often with Scotland for it to be a coincidence, and it’s a problem which Gregor Townsend seems unable to fix.
In the end, Scotland limped home to win on Saturday against one of the poorest Wales teams in recent memory. In terms of Lions credentials, this is a world away from where they were back in 2021.
On current form, which Scotland players would be nailed-on to be picked in a Lions Test starting XV?
Russell at fly-half? Probably. Duhan van der Merwe on the wing? Possibly. Blair Kinghorn at full-back? Huw Jones at centre? Again, both possible.
But there are too many players who would now be viewed as hopefuls, rather than certainties to be on the plane to Australia.
The likes of Ben White, Darcy Graham, Jonny Gray and Matt Fagerson may just have missed the main chance to state their case to Farrell.
Given that France are chasing the title this weekend, the expectation is that they will stuff Scotland at the Stade de France.
They’ve been absolutely rampant in their last two matches against Italy and Ireland. Had they not suffered an aberration at Twickenham, a French Grand Slam would be on the cards.
Russell made it clear on Saturday that Scotland can’t switch off against Les Bleus in the same fashion they did against Wales.
If they do, France will annihilate them. It’s that simple. It’s one last chance for these players to produce a performance to be proud of in this year’s Six Nations.
Scotland knocked off against Italy in the opening game and got away with it. Against Wales, they very nearly paid the price.
Beating a title-chasing France team in Paris will demand a complete 80-minute performance. The kind of performance that looks to be beyond Townsend’s side. Only they can change that perception.
