Each week we will be asking rugby journalists as well as Lions legends to review all the action from the leagues and competitions to see which players are putting their names in contention for the Lions Tour of Australia this summer. This week’s Lions Watch is written by Alex Reed.
The European quarter-finals gave British & Irish Lions hopefuls a shot at impressing the right people under the bright lights and breath-taking pressure of knockout rugby.
Performance in the key moments will be top of Andy Farrell's list of attributes when he picks his squad on May 8, and plenty of players stepped up this weekend.
Leinster domination continues
114-0. That's the Leinster's aggregate scoreline in the European Champions Cup knockouts so far.
You would expect to read that about two mis-matched U14s teams, but instead, Leinster gave the men against-boys treatment to two of the best teams in Europe.
Given the scoreline, the whole 23 put in incredible performances in their 52-0 win against URC champions Glasgow Warriors.
Sam Prendergast pulled the strings again and whipped out a 60m spiral that will have turned a few heads in the Lions coaching team.
Jamison Gibson-Park complemented his young fly-half by excellently controlling the tempo and allowing him to flourish. Hugo Keenan also looked at his attacking best, latching onto the end of a Prendergast grubber to score in the first half.
It was also another strong showing from Josh van der Flier, who was excellent in the carry for the full 80 as he looks to push his way into the ever-competitive back row.
Young Saints Stars Make Their Case
Northampton Saints' 51-16 victory over Castres sent them into their second successive Investec Champions Cup final against Leinster at Croke Park and featured some brilliant performances from their young stars.
Henry Pollock continues to rule the English rugby headlines after his brace at cinch Stadium @ Franklin's Gardens.
Some have suggested the 20-year-old as a bolter to Andy Farrell's squad after his impressive performance on Super Saturday and continuing form for Northampton.
England half-back duo Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith were both excellent. Mitchell especially showed exceptional skill in attack, setting up both of Pollock's tries after sniping off the base of the ruck.
Tommy Freeman continued his impressive scoring form after a hat-trick last week, dotting down after some flashy interplay with full-back George Furbank.
Furbank's return from injury will further complicate the back three selection if he finds the form that made him England's first choice 15 last campaign.
Prominent Performers in the Challenge Cup
There were plenty of players putting their hands up in the Challenge Cup.
Bath Rugby continued their hunt for the treble, guided by Finn Russell's attacking mind, scoring 61 points against arch-rivals Gloucester.
Tomos Williams was impressive off the bench in Cherry & White, although we didn't see any no-look passes at The Rec.
Pierre Schoeman won the decisive turnover against his former team, the Blue Bulls, to send Edinburgh into the Challenge Cup semi-finals.
Owen Farrell's Racing 92 also advanced to the next round, as England's record points scorer hit a drop goal that helped the Paris outfit beat top-seeds Connacht away from home by only three points.
With a raft of young playmakers looking like the favourites for this British & Irish Lions tour, could Farrell Jr.'s experience in the big moments help his case to make Farrell Snr.'s squad?
