Marcus continues to live the dream as joker in the Lions pack

BRENDAN GALLAGHER VERDICT

OK, it was ‘only' a seriously under-strength Stormers, shorn of all their South Africa squad players, but that was a supremely confident Lions debut from Marcus Smith last night when it was probably a dead heat between him and Luke Cowan-Dickie for MOM honours.

You don't need to be Mystic Meg to know that one way or another Smith will play some part in the forthcoming series against the Boks. It's written in the stars even if the presence of Dan Biggar, Owen Farrell and hopefully a restored Finn Russell would suggest otherwise.

Some things are just meant to be, they demand to be written and build their own momentum.

The Quins fly-half is currently living the dream. In the last five weekends he has starred in the greatest Premiership comeback in history against Bristol; given a breath-taking MOM performance in the best ever Premiership final at Twickenham; earned his first England cap, been called up for the Lions while masterminding the England effort during his second England appearance, against Canada, and now this.

It's a story to outdo even Alun Wyn Jones' remarkable comeback from a dislocated collarbone, more of which anon, and in keeping with Smith's comic book hero personna.

Could he really appear in the Test series? Absolutely. I don't expect him to start on Saturday but I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see Smith on the bench and if the Lions lose first up he could find himself starting in the second Test.

Some of you will remember the 1970s BBC series Jeux Sans Frontiers featuring the use, when all was lost, of the joker which could garner you double points. Smith is definitely the joker in the Lions pack, a man whose game literally knows no frontiers.

And although this all seems rather novel and wonderful it is not exactly unknown territory for the Lions. We have been here before. In fact on at least two other occasions there is a lovely symmetry between somebody being called up as a replacement after appearing against the Canadians and having an immediate impact for the tourists.

Back in 1993 a young, relatively fresh faced, Martin Johnson was just dragging himself off the pitch at Burnaby in British Columbia after an exceptionally strong England A XV had lost to Canada's best-ever side when he got the call. Wade Dooley needed to travel home to attend his “I wouldn't be remotely surprised to see Smith on the bench” father's funeral and rather disgracefully he wasn't going to be allowed back to complete the tour so Johnno was needed.

Straight into the second Test he was plunged, a memorable 20-9 win in Wellington when the future England World Cup-winning lock announced his arrival as a major force in no uncertain manner.

Fast forward to 2001 and Martin Corry has just helped steer England to a 22-10 win over Canada at Markham on their summer tour when he was told to pack his bags and get himself across the Pacific to Australia where Simon Taylor's knee had packed up. Three weeks later he played a fine hand in the Lions' famous 29-13 win in the first Test in Brisbane.

You don't have to have played Canada in your last game to be a star Lions replacement although clearly it helps. Alex Corbisiero was just getting acquainted with the delights of Salta in the foothills of the Andes ahead of England's game against Argenti-na in 2013 when Gatland phoned manager Martin Johnson who sent his prop heading to the airport with his best wishes.

Corbisiero proved the final part of the jigsaw for the Lions scrum and was damn near man of the series for his performance in the first and third Tests – he was injured for the second which they lost.

And it goes back even further than that with Lewis Jones becoming the first Lion to ever arrive by aeroplane when he was dispatched to help the depleted squad in New Zealand Australia. By the end of the tour the 19-yearold Welshman was the star of the show.

The precedent is there and we know that Gatland never dodges the hard calls so for me Smith is already well and truly in the mix.

On the subject of tough calls, what will he do with his tour skipper Jones who completed a 27 minute shift yesterday exactly three weeks after dislocating his shoulder against Japan.

It's an extraordinary comeback although it should be pointed out that fellow Welshman Geraint Thomas painfully dislocated his shoulder on stage three of the Tour de France two days after the Jones incident and, having had it popped back in on the roadside, has raced another 3200 kilometres and 17 stages in the last three weeks. It's obviously a Welsh thing.

Does Gatland risk starting the skipper though. Even before his seven minutes in the Japan game he had played little competitive rugby since the Six Nations and although he put in some solid tackles last night it might still be perceived as a risk. And it's not as if the other second rows haven't put their hands up for that place alongside Maro Itoje – Iain Henderson, Adam Beard and Jonny Hill have all done well and there is also the option of Courtney Lawes and Tadgh Beirne who thus far he has preferred at six.

“Murray earned his spurs in 2013 and 2017 and Gatland clearly trusts him”

Common sense says start Jones on the bench, his presence alone in the changing room could be pivotal as well as any contributions when he comes on, but first Tests are so important. There is a going for broke element which is why I reckon Gatland will go with the Wales skipper.

There is another element to this debate. Can Conor Murray – the tour captain in Jones' absence – hold off the challenge of Ali Price as the starting scrum-half.

On current form Scotsman Price is well ahead and his faster tempo and the game it encourages is surely the way to down this massively powerful Boks side but Murray has earned his spurs in 2013 and 2017 and Gatland clearly trusts him.

Starting neither Jones nor Murray seems a step too far to me. An interesting week awaits.