Tom Croft, Ryan Jones and Paul Wallace are among those who have become key figures in previous Test series after joining the party late.
Lions squad announcement day is one of the most anticipated dates in the rugby calendar but for those who do not hear their name, that does not mean the end of the road.
After all, Alex Corbisiero was the hero of the last tour of Australia, despite missing out on initial selection, while Tom Croft, Ryan Jones and Paul Wallace are others who have become key figures in the Test series after joining the party late.
Stuart Lancaster was in charge of England on a tour of Argentina when the Lions travelled to Australia 12 years ago, and explained how being on tour with your national team can help your cause in a bid for selection.
He said: “You realise that your players are on standby. Even though we were building towards the Argentina Test, we were delighted when Corbisiero, Christian Wade, Billy Twelvetrees, Brad Barritt were called up. It opened up opportunities for other lads to play. It was a win-win. You know potentially it could happen and when it does, there is no downside.
“It’s not too close, Argentina to Australia but it’s close enough. And you are certainly in the mind’s eye, the call always comes to the national coach. So you are going to go with the lads who are beside you.”
A quick look at where the different home nations are touring this summer would appear to favour Scottish tourists.
Heading to New Zealand and Fiji, they will be a very short flight away if players go down and Andy Farrell needs to call in reinforcements.
Compare that to Ireland, who are staying in Europe for clashes with Georgia and Portugal, and the logistical complications of bringing players in will certainly be greater.
As has been the case for the last three non-Covid tours, England will be in Argentina – a considerable flight but not an insurmountable journey, while they start their summer with a home game against a France XV. Wales head to Japan, albeit with a relatively small number of potential Lions waiting in the wings.
So when the inevitable injuries hit, which players find themselves next in line? It is impossible to tell exactly what Farrell and his coaching staff are thinking but they were relatively safe with their initial selection with few surprises.
If that holds, then the front row candidates in case of injury could be from a range of different countries, with Wales’s Nicky Smith probably the unluckiest to miss out at loosehead while England centurion Jamie George could be the next option at hooker, along with Wales skipper Dewi Lake. George and compatriot Asher Opoku-Fordjour joined the Lions for a training camp in Portugal as they build-up to the Argentina game.
Finlay Bealham, who has deputised so impressively for Tadhg Furlong, has already been called up to the squad in place of Zander Fagerson, who has been ruled out of the tour through injury.
With six locks included in initial selection, it would likely require multiple injuries for a call-up, but the back row offers a few more candidates.
Jack Willis might still be in Top 14 action when the Lions take on Argentina in Dublin, but a strong end to the season for Toulouse might make him the next cab off the rank, albeit, he will be not be playing internationally in the summer.
Scotland duo Rory Darge and Jamie Ritchie will no doubt keep their phones on, having narrowly missed out on initial selection, while Taulupe Faletau could yet get a chance to return to Australia 12 years after first taking on the Wallabies in Lions red.
In the half-backs, Ben White is another still on Top 14 duty who will be a candidate if a scrum-half is required, while Owen Farrell, George Ford and Sam Prendergast are three very different No.10 candidates.
Like Farrell, another player with multiple Lions tours under his belt is Robbie Henshaw, who could be an option if a centre is required.
And perhaps the most intriguing decision would be in the back three. Scotland’s Darcy Graham and England’s Immanuel Feyi-Waboso both have the X-factor to make tour-changing contributions if they were to be called up, while at full-back, Blair Murray and Freddie Steward offer very different styles depending on what is required.
