The British and Irish Lions coaches assembled on Monday afternoon for their first selection meeting ahead of the 2021 tour of South Africa.
Head coach Warren Gatland met with his newly-appointed assistants - Gregor Townsend (attack), Steve Tandy (defence), Robin McBryde (forwards) and Neil Jenkins (kicking) - for the first time at the Lensbury Hotel, situated on the banks of the River Thames.
After fulfilling some media obligations, a four-hour selection meeting convened, during which all coaches weighed in with their opinions on the options available to them.
Prior to meeting up, Gatland had asked all coaches to submit their chosen squad of 36, which is the number of players the head coach is expected to name in his final squad on May 6.
Amid what appears to have been a lively debate, 57 different players were discussed with all four coaches said to be in agreement on around 50% of the names.
Scotland boss Townsend was sporting a cut just above his right eye and when asked about its origins, he joked: "Selection meeting!"
He quickly added that it was just a gardening injury.
"We had our first selection meeting [on Monday]," Gatland explained.
"It's going to be a real challenge for us. One of the things I said to the coaches was to send me a squad of 36 and on that we probably had 20-25 of the same names and then quite a variance in the others."
Shedding more light on the meeting, Townsend said: "A lot of the meeting was focused on selection, going through each position and being open-minded about players who could make a difference to the Lions.
“We know that the squad will be named in three weeks but it was good to have that discussion and there will be a few more between now and May 6.
“We all basically chose our own squad and then compared notes. And then we ended up discussing a fair bit outside of our own choices and players who hadn’t made the 36 we had all sent in were discussed too."
He laughed: “All the lists were pretty divergent! There was a core group that most of us agreed on, maybe 50-60% that we could all see as Lions this year.
"But the other 40-50%... there’s still a lot of discussion to be had and opportunities for players to get in that squad.”
Forwards coach McBryde, who has been in many selection meetings with Gatland down the years having worked under him for nearly 12 years with Wales, revealed the back row was the most hotly-debated position.
He also explained that players not currently involved in international rugby were discussed.
"The back row provoked the most discussion," said McBryde.
"To be fair, there was quite a bit to talk about everywhere but it would be the back row, getting that mix right, getting the balance right.
"It's about the all around game. Lineout ability is huge, contact ability is huge, skill set.
"But the positive thing is when you look at the quality of the players who were on those sheets, it just makes you so excited really.
"The door isn't closed on anybody.
"We discussed 57 players. Not all of them were current internationals. It's going to be interesting."
Kicking coach Jenkins was careful not to give too much away but believes a number of positions will be decided on at the last minute.
"I don't want to get myself in a pickle here! It was a good discussion," he said.
"Picking a squad of this magnitude is not easy, I can assure you. The amount of talent that is in Britain and Ireland... you've just seen some fantastic performances in the Six Nations from teams and individuals.
"There's going to be some discussions. It will come down to the wire on a few positions."
Where credentials are concerned, McBryde insisted a players' off-field persona will be considered. It has always been vital that those selected are good around the team room on Lions tours and that is magnified given the strict Covid restrictions which players will be expected to adhere to.
"A big point of discussion was the character of the players, not only on the field but off the field because of the nature of the tour, being in the bubble," the former Wales forwards coach added.
"We're going to be spending more time amongst each other. Warren and Neil were able to draw on the experiences they've had on the past Lions tour. They spoke to the importance of having the right type of character off the field."
For Jenkins, physicality was the major criteria when it comes to selection. The Springboks are renowned for being the most daunting of physical prospects in world rugby.
Jenkins noted that players selected will have to not only deal with the collisions but also win them.
"Physicality is going to be a big part of this tour, there's no doubting that," insisted the former fly-half, who toured South Africa as a player in 1997.
"South Africa are certainly going to come at us in that area. They're going to be a very big, physical side. They were very fit at the World Cup back in 2019 and I don't see that being any different this time.
"It's a unique opportunity for our guys but it's also a unique opportunity for them as well. It happens once every 12 years for them.
"Lions tours will also come down to goal-kicking, I always say this. Your best goal-kickers will need to be there or thereabouts on that tour.
"We certainly need to be kicking well to try and win this Test series."
