Andy Farrell has indicated he's willing to consider France-based players, including his son Owen, for the upcoming British and Irish Lions tour to Australia this summer.

On Wednesday, Farrell announced Richard Wigglesworth, Simon Easterby, John Dalziel, John Fogarty and Andrew Goodman as his assistant coaches for the Australian tour. He then swiftly shifted focus to the task of squad selection.

The management team, meeting for the first time at London's Rosewood Hotel, put together a preliminary long list of about 75 potential players.

Those plying their trade in France's Top 14 were part of the discussion, despite the French league schedule potentially causing conflicts with the first two fixtures in Dublin and Perth for any player involved in the final.

Toulouse pair Blair Kinghorn and Jack Willis are most likely to be caught up in that match, while Kyle Sinckler, Courtney Lawes and Owen Farrell also represent clubs in France.

"We're open minded about all of that," Farrell stated, with the final squad set to be announced on May 8.

He added, "We could have a conversation with some clubs over there, they might release them. These things will be ongoing. It's just the dynamics of what the team needs at the time when we get to the point of pulling the trigger as far as May 8 is concerned."

The question of which three fly-halves to choose is causing a stir, and Owen Farrell, despite his challenging first season at Racing 92 marred by a groin injury and the team's struggles, remains in the mix.

Andy Farrell, when quizzed about the prospect of including his son for the tour, responded: "Same as everyone else. He's just coming back from injury. You keep an eye on everything, so yeah."

The Lions' coaching line-up reflects all home nations with the exception of Wales, who endured another disappointing run in the Six Nations with a string of losses.

Farrell has firmly set aside any bias based on nationality for both his coaching staff and players, focusing on merit.

"I know that's idealistic for everyone (to have all four nations represented), but surely this has to be done on merit for who fits?" he commented on the selection process, strongly believing in fairness over national representation. "Imagine not going on a Lions tour because someone thinks that somebody else not as good deserves a place because of the (national) dynamics. Surely that's not fair."

As for captaincy, with the announcement due on May 8, Farrell says there are around four to six candidates. He highlighted the qualities he seeks in a captain, noting that Ireland's Caelan Doris and England's Maro Itoje are top contenders.

"He's got to be highly respected within the group and a person who is more than comfortable of being himself within that," he explained regarding the captaincy criteria.

"Obviously he's got to have the respect, not just as a player and not just as a leader within the changing room, but as a leader in the way that he handles himself in the entirety of what a Lions captain should be."

Insiders reveal that the Lions are mulling over a warm-up match against France for their upcoming 2029 tour to New Zealand, according to sources at the PA news agency.

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