What will British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell be watching during the Six Nations?

The quadrennial assembly of Britain and Ireland’s best and brightest will add yet more meaning to the Six Nations as Lions selection looms large over the tournament.

While it is, ultimately, the competition prize that players will be vying for, all of those eligible will be fully aware that Andy Farrell will be watching closely as he bids to narrow down his squad ahead of the tour of Australia.

England are understood to have addressed the conversation directly as they prepare for a vital campaign, while Ireland captain Caelan Doris has admitted that it will serve as an “extra factor” as the four constituent nations navigate the championship.

With his first coaching appointments in place, Farrell can now cast his discerning eye over the opening rounds of the tournament with plenty of themes set to emerge.

What might he particularly be looking out for?

Playmaking pecking orders

It feels a relatively safe bet, at this point, that Finn Russell will be one of the fly-halves chosen by Farrell, but great uncertainty lurks behind the Scotland star. Neither Ireland nor England enters this campaign with an undisputed starting 10: with Marcus Smith’s positional flexibility perhaps counting against him, both Fin Smith and George Ford could come into consideration for a starting spot; with Sam Prendergast and Jack Crowley, old Leinster/Munster battle lines are being redrawn.

Farrell is known to rate Prendergast’s potential exceptionally highly, though this trip may come a year too soon for a player firmly in a development phase. The identity of Farrell’s attack coach may have a bearing, too – if a highly structured system like that employed by Ireland is favoured, then the ability to work within that will be key. It should be noted that Johnny Sexton, master of the Irish machine for so long, is a huge admirer of Marcus Smith, which may well count in the Harlequin’s favour.

Could a wildcard option emerge? Ben Thomas offers 10/12 versatility and looks poised to steer Wales into Paris on Friday, but Scotland’s Tom Jordan may be a figure of real intrigue.

Captaincy contenders

What felt like a two-horse race has become even more so with the unfortunate Sione Tuipulotu pulling up in his gallop, though one feels that even a Six Nations-winning campaign as Scotland skipper might not have been enough to earn the centre the captaincy. Instead, Caelan Doris and Maro Itoje will contest the chase, with the Ireland No 8 possessing the inside track. Despite the back row depth in all four nations, Doris is surely pencilled in to Farrell’s side and has shown clear development as a leader since assuming duties for the first time almost a year ago.

Itoje, though, gets an ideal chance to prove his worth having taken over from Jamie George as leader of England. The lock has regularly raised even his exceptionally high standards in Lions years and spoken regularly with real passion about his previous engagements with the touring side. Don’t rule out that experience counting hugely in his favour – the Lions is about so much more than just matters of performance, as Itoje can attest, and it may be that Farrell sees it best to have Doris take it all in among the rank and file rather than thrusting the captaincy upon a first-time tourist.

Adaptability and availability

A 10-match itinerary will make both of these qualities key for potential tourists. As such, injuries for Tuipulotu, Immanuel Feyi-Waboso and Dewi Lake (among others) are ill-timed, while Tadhg Furlong’s fitness issues are an ongoing concern at tighthead. Consistently hitting the same performance markers is also key – for sides like Scotland and England that have struggled to back up big showings in the past, proving that you can go to the well again and again across a demanding campaign is a sure-fire way of enhancing one’s credentials.

The former quality may become vital in the fight for the final few spots. Asher Opoku-Fordjour can cover both loose and tighthead, while Blair Kinghorn’s ability to slip in at fly-half, wing or full-back should help him overcome any scheduling concerns, with the Scot likely to be involved with Toulouse until after the tour has started. It looks like Farrell may end up with a slightly siloed backs group with limited centre/wing, or fly-half/centre, types; genuine utility could bring others into the selection fray.

Law tweaks and trends

What seemed a minor tweak on the escorting law proved to have an outsized impact on fixtures in the autumn, with kick contests becoming more and more chaotic. That, in turn, brought the strengths of air traffic controllers like Freddie Steward to the fore, with England shifting from a strategy that had been bedding in all year. Teams, and players, will have to continue to adjust – and with the Wallabies’ strength in the air, Farrell will no doubt be contemplating how best to combat it.

Two new law trials have been introduced ahead of the Six Nations. Allowing play on for uncontested lineouts that are not straight may place greater emphasis on possessing a third expert jumper in the back five of the forward pack, though that is already the preferred configuration for most international head coaches.

The other trial concerns greater protection for scrum-halves around the base of scrums, rucks and mauls, which could afford greater opportunities for sniping for running nines.

There is also a thought that teams may start to use their scrum-half in more creative ways defensively, particularly from scrum situations: either by adding an extra body to the defensive line or as a backside pressuriser shutting down inside options and hurrying first receivers. Jamison Gibson-Park is already excellent in that regard – look out for how coaches learn to maximise and exploit the new laws on both sides of the ball.