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British Lions coaches and selectors had an opportunity to assess potential tourists under Test match conditions last weekend, and several players put their hands up.

Wales showed real promise despite losing 20-15 to world champions South Africa, Scotland enjoyed long periods of forward dominance even though they were beaten 32-3 by New Zealand, while England appear to have unearthed a genuine back three in their 39-13 victory over the Pacific Islanders.

Only Ireland had a comfortable afternoon, defeating Canada 55-0 in a performance that will have told the coaches and selectors little they did not already know.

The Good

Andy Powell (Wales and Cardiff Blues)

Following outstanding performances for the Blues this season, Powell (pictured) showed he can mix it at Test level with a superb effort against the Springboks. Powell was Wales' stand-out player and, on this evidence, skipper Ryan Jones might have to get used to the number six jersey. Two seasons of shoulder problems kept Powell off most fans' radars, but Wales have a real gem on their hands. Jones at six, Martyn Williams at seven and Powell at eight could become a truly world-class back row.

Delon Armitage (England and London Irish)

England manager Martin Johnson is not known for superlatives, but even he was unable to hide his excitement at Armitage's performance against the Pacific Islanders, describing it as the best England debut he had seen. Armitage was superb in defence, under the high ball and in attack, where he formed a formidable back-three partnership with Paul Sackey and Ugo Monye. The young full-back will need to produce more of the same for England if he is going to challenge the likes of Lee Byrne for the Lions jersey, but on Saturday's performance he appears to have the talent for a long international career.

James Hook (Wales and Ospreys)

Coughing up an interception try is not the best way to make your mark as a replacement, but Hook showed supreme confidence by overcoming that first-touch set-back with an excellent display against the Boks. Four successful penalties put Wales within sight of a famous victory and proved once again that the Ospreys stand-off has nerves of steel. Question marks exist over his ability to boss a game for 80 minutes, but if it's down to pure talent then the versatile Osprey will be on the plane.

Ugo Monye (England and Harlequins)

Sheer pace is going to be crucial to the Lions' chances of beating the Boks, and Monye has it in abundance. A personal best of 10.46 for the 100m makes him one of the fastest players around, but he has also worked hard improving his all-round game in recent seasons. Made a real impact on his debut for England against the Islanders, and if he continues to show he has the defence and kicking game for a world-class international wing, he could well play his way into contention.

The not so good

Gavin Henson (Wales and Ospreys)

The enigmatic Wales star seems to yo-yo between the top half and bottom half of this column like no other player. Whether he was at fault for Wales taking so long to withdraw him from the South Africa game, we will never know. But Henson continues to cause a stir - most probably unintentionally - and even the unflappable Warren Gatland allowed the topic to get to him during a press conference. Lions coach Ian McGeechan will want to see the highly-talented centre fit and focused in the not too distant future, and making headlines for his on-field exploits rather than what happens off it.

Terence O'Rorke / Eurosport