<
>

British & Irish Lions Watch: Premiership and PRO12 final, Top 14

British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland. David Rogers/Getty Images

British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland will have watched on with interest as 11 of his players bound for New Zealand played this weekend.

Exeter's Jack Nowell and Wasps' Elliot Daly and James Haskell featured prominently in the Aviva Premiership final while Leigh Halfpenny had his kicking boots on once again for Toulon in the Top 14 semifinals.

Liam Williams and Jonathan Davies helped carry Scarlets to PRO12 glory over a Munster outfit featuring Conor Murray, CJ Stander and Peter O'Mahony while Courtney Lawes and George North starred for Northampton Saints in their win over Stade Francais.

Let's take a look at how each player fared in their last club outing before the Lions tour.

BACKS

Leigh Halfpenny (Toulon) 7/10

Showed his value from the tee in what could possibly be his last game for Toulon to help them to the Top 14 final with a thrilling win over La Rochelle. Kicked five penalties to keep his side in the game without getting many opportunities to counter attack in a try-less affair.

Jack Nowell (Exeter Chiefs) 9/10

Staked a claim for a Lions Test spot with a superlative performance in Exeter's remarkable Premiership final win over Wasps. Ran a perfect line to finish a spectacular set piece move from the lineout and grew into the game from there with his blue scrum cap popping up all over Twickenham on both sides of the ball.

Liam Williams (Scarlets) 8/10

What a way for the Saracens-bound outside back to bow out as Scarlets thumped Munster for the PRO12 title. Showed a clean pair of heels to haul in Rhys Patchell's kick through for the opening try and kicked two late conversions in an impressive outing.

George North (Northampton Saints) 8/10

Was one of the best on the park at Franklin's Gardens as Saints qualified for next season's Champions Cup after a come-from-behind win over Stade Francais. Ran 168 metres to get his club team out of a hole despite picking up a knock. The competition couldn't be hotter for the Lions' back-three Test spots.

Elliot Daly (Wasps) 8/10

Stamped his mark on the Premiership final with a sterling effort in a losing cause. Classic poachers try as he chased through a Christian Wade chip kick to get a lucky bounce and score just after half-time. Elusive on attack beating five defenders while making a colossal 17 tackles.

Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) 8/10

Starting to find form right when it matters as the Wales No. 13 carried on from a brilliant performance a week ago against Leinster to help Scarlets beat Munster. Brilliant effort in the 20th minute running out from his own 22 to put Steff Evans away for a brilliant score.

Conor Murray (Munster) 6/10

Tried to get Munster in the game in his 100th appearance for the province against Scarlets but to no avail. Made one nice break from the base of the ruck but had no support either side. Will be hoping for much better once he touches down in New Zealand.

FORWARDS

Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints) 9/10

Yet another man-of-the-match performance from the England second-row. Helped carry his side when they were down to 13 men at one stage with strong carries and bruising defence, all the while he was battling illness that almost prevented him from making it on the pitch. Some player.

James Haskell (Wasps) 7/10

Would have felt heightened pressure to put in a big performance after his late Lions call-up. Made a couple of handling errors early on, but was tireless in defence with 21 tackles across a whopping 100 minutes as Wasps finished up agonisingly short against Exeter.

Peter O'Mahony (Munster) 5/10

Very quiet performance from the Munster captain. Made a poor decision at a key juncture of the match as he dropped the shoulder into Scarlets' James Davies as Munster's lineout drive was rumbling towards the try line. Will be a long flight to New Zealand chewing over his side's final effort.

CJ Stander (Munster) 5/10

Would have been hoping for a big performance after Billy Vunipola's withdrawal from the Lions tour but came up well short at the Aviva Stadium. Made an error and missed a tackle that directly led to Scarlets tries. Not one clean break or beaten defender from his 14 carries- quite uncharacteristic.