That 15 of those 38 men handed the responsibility of upholding the Lions’ good name were plucked from Farrell’s own national squad, 12 from Leinster, two from Connacht and one from Munster, was perhaps not the full metal jacket of Irish players that might have travelled Down Under were it not for a disappointing end to the Six Nations and a shock home Champions Cup semi-final defeat for the Boys in Blue at the hands of Northampton last weekend. Caelan Doris, for one, will be feeling particularly sorry for himself as he recovers from the shoulder procedure he has undergone this week in the wake of the injury he suffered in that Aviva Stadium defeat, yet Ireland will be the bulk suppliers of this tour. England’s runner-up finish in the Six Nations and the Saints’ progress to the Champions Cup final is reflected in the selection of 13 players, including his country’s skipper and new Lions tour captain Maro Itoje, while there are eight Scots and just two Welshmen, Farrell’s squad make-up reflecting the current low ebb for Wales after 17 successive Test defeats and back-to-back championship wooden spoons. Also reflected is Farrell’s intent to select his squad on form, which explains his decision to omit his son, Owen, as one of three fly-halves, as well as overlooking Ireland number 10s Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley. It also explains the continuation of Henry Pollock’s meteoric rise, the 20-year-old Northampton back-rower who began this season’s Six Nations in Cork for the England Under 20s, finished it with a Test debut in the final round hammering of Wales, and was one of the powerhouses of his club’s epic semi-final victory in Dublin at the weekend. This a form squad, for the most part, with Scotland centre Sione Tuipulotu the exception given he has been injured since before the Six Nations. Watching the events unfold via Sky Sports, the official broadcast partner of the Lions, you initially feared the concept of this prestigious touring team was about to disappear down a commercial sinkhole of its own making. Co-hosted by Ugo Monye and Lee McKenzie, the broadcast production in front of an audience of Lions supporters at the O2 Arena in London began at 2pm and included an insight from current chair and former Test Lions Evans. The Welsh wing of yesteryear, one of the heroes of the 1997 Lions series win in South Africa, reminisced wistfully of how he had learned of his first tour selection by telegram. And given what followed as we visited a muralist in the East End and watched a video montage of former captains reading off an autocue, this viewer cannot have been the only one who wished that the telegram had remained the Lions’ chosen method of communication. It took 17 minutes to find out Maro Itoje was the captain and in fairness to the England skipper he represented a breath of much-needed fresh air, though for watching Irish supporters this was perhaps confirmation that Doris would not be involved, given he was believed to a frontrunner for the role. And so it went on, to the point where even McKenzie, a veteran of presenting such announcements and witness to the increasing attempts to monetise the Lions to within an inch of its existence, admitted there was in fact, “a fine line between sport and entertainment”. The Lions, in cahoots with Sky Sports, certainly straddled that thin line on Thursday. It took 30 minutes for Evans to escape the on-stage chitchat and start reading the names of the 38 players who will tour Australia this summer. And that was when the romance returned and the Lions were dragged back from the dark abyss. This was what it was all about, the selection of the best and the brightest rugby talents from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales, who will be asked to put national rivalries aside for a united and unique cause. And for those still in any doubt, the reactions of the players interviewed by video link-up only strengthened that feeling. This is one of the pinnacles of a rugby player’s careers and those brought onto our screens in the immediate aftermath of learning the special news conveyed the feelings of pride, relief and honour each one felt at being selected. They will be back in action this weekend, in the URC, Premiership and Top 14, their club coaches demanding their personal joys are parked for 80 minutes in the pursuit of domestic greatness while those watching on will be hoping the favoured few do not have their hopes dashed in the same way Doris’s were over these crucial final weeks of the season.