England’s Joe Launchbury and Jonathan Joseph set to miss out on Lions squad

Warren Gatland is expected to leave out a host of England's Six Nations champions when he announces his British & Irish Lions squad at middway tomorrow, with Joe Launchbry and Jonathan Joseph among the big names to miss out.

Joseph's omission would be a shock to many pundits who have regarded the Bath centre as a shoe-in for the starting 13 shirt.

Launchbury excelled for England throughout the 6 Nations tournament but faces a stiff challenge up against AW Jones, who captained the Lions in the final test in 2013, Maro Itoje, Courtney Lawes, Iain Henderson and Donnacha Ryan, as well as the fit-again George Kruis are expected to be the five second rows chosen for selection.

Kyle Sinckler and Ben Te'o have been widely tipped for inclusion in the initial 37-man squad. Many bookmakers were forced to shorten their odds considerably on selection, after large streams of support was seen for the duo's inclusion.

Lions assistant coach, Steve Borthwick, was present on Sunday as Northampton Saints faced Saracens in a final audition to leave an impression on the coaching staff. Dylan Hartley advanced his claims with a solid performance and left the pitch with his side on the front foot despite a late collapse. The England captain's inclusion will be a source of debate at the selection meeting on Tuesday.