British and Irish Lions 2017: Jack Nowell and Elliot Daly primed for Test place should Warren Gatland call

The England duo, along with Liam Williams, were outstanding during the win over the Chiefs

Nowell had a poor start to the tour but impressed on Tuesday (Getty)

Jack Nowell and Elliot Daly would not allow themselves to discuss the possibility of featuring in the British and Irish Lions Test side this Saturday against the All Blacks, but made it clear that they will be ready and waiting if Warren Gatland comes calling on Wednesday night.

The squad have been kept in the dark over who will start the first Test at Eden Park, and while a number of positions have been made obvious due to a combination of form, Gatland’s selection and injuries to other players, the left wing is still one of those up for grabs.

George North remains the favourite to start against New Zealand this weekend, but his place in the side is no longer as safe as it once was. The Welsh wing, who was one of the outstanding performers in the 2013 tour with tries in the first and third Tests, has struggled to find his best form so far on this tour and could find himself at risk following star performances from Nowell and Daly in the 34-6 victory over the Chiefs on Tuesday.

Nowell bagged himself two tries, the latter coming from a brilliant break from Daly down the left wing that saw the ball recycled on the 22 and fed to the Exeter Chiefs back who finished superbly, and it was the first time on this tour that the back three – completed by Liam Williams – have hit top gear to devastating effect.

Heading into the match, Daly looked to have the strongest case of ousting North, but the England international would not allow himself to look beyond the clash in Hamilton. “I wasn't really thinking about that at the start of the game,” he said afterwards. “Obviously it was in the back of your mind but we wanted to win tonight because we hadn't done that as a midweek team so far. I think it was a credit to everyone we had that scoreline at the end of the day.”

There’s no doubt that Daly has put himself firmly in the frame for the Test squad, but Nowell has also put his case forward with his best performance since pulling on the Lions shirt for the first time two weeks’ ago.

The competition for a place in the back-three has been fierce, and while Anthony Watson and Leigh Halfpenny looked assured of starting places, North, Daly, Nowell and Williams also face competition from Scotland’s Tommy Seymour. However, Nowell admits that despite each match being an audition for the Test side, they have bonded well over the course of the tour.

“We are actually very tight, we have a lot of respect for each other, but we do understand that every time you get that chance to play with the Lions shirt, you get the chance to put your hand up for selection,” he said. “It hasn’t come a lot for the wingers – it’s been wet and drizzly – but the main thing is we are pushing each other, helping each other. We’d rather come back as a 3-0 winning team than fighting for position. Whoever gets the nod gets the nod and we’ll help him.”

24-year-old Daly did afford himself the thought of what selection this Saturday would mean for him on a personal level, but quickly confirmed that he hadn’t a clue whether he was in Gatland’s plans or not, despite his 60th-minute exit in the head coach’s only tactical replacement of the match.

Daly said: “It would be amazing. At the start of the year I didn't think I had a chance. If I got anywhere near it, it would be unbelievable.

“Whatever happens, happens. You've done as much as you can now and whoever gets selected we are going to get behind them. We've got training on Thursday and if you're not in the team you're going to try and push those who are to try and prepare them as best as possible for Saturday.

“I think [we find out] sometime on Wednesday. It hasn't been spoken about yet. It might be Wednesday, might be Thursday. Warren will tell us, but I'm not sure when it will be.”

Nowell crossed the whitewash twice during the rout (Getty)

Another player who will discover his Test fate on Wednesday – and who did not feature on Tuesday – will be tour captain Sam Warburton. The flanker is under significant pressure for his place in the side from the Irish pairing of Peter O’Mahony and Sean O’Brien, with both starting the wins over the Crusaders and Maori All Blacks in recent weeks.

Gatland trusted O’Mahony with the captaincy in Warburton’s absence against the Maori, and the Irishman’s Munster teammate CJ Stander believes that if he is selected again to lead the side instead of Warburton against the All Blacks, he will do the four home nations “proud”.

“I think he’s a great leader. He’s my captain at Munster and he works hard for the team,” Stander said after another impressive outing in the back-row. “He’s a good leader and he shows it. His heart is on his sleeve and I don’t think there’s an awful lot of leaders like him. He shows it on the pitch and he shows it in his aggression. He’s a great captain and we all know that, and I think he’ll make us proud.”

“I think there are a lot of leaders in the group and everybody helps each other and pushes each other on. I think he’s ready to step up. He doesn’t even have to step up. He’s ready to do it.”