It is a fairly rapid rise to the top of British and Irish rugby for Murray, who left Glasgow a couple of seasons ago as a relatively unheralded forward.

But his time at Northampton, where he played with Robinson, has seen him develop into one of the finest props in the RBS 6 Nations.

Now Murray is expected to line up alongside Wales prop Gethin Jenkins and Ireland hooker Jerry Flannery in the Test front row.

Robinson told rbs6nations.com: "Euan is a tremendous player. He has shown in the past couple of years what a tough prop he is and he will be an important player for the Lions because the scrum is where South Africa like to dominate.

"If he and the rest of the front five can hold their own there, the Lions will have a chance of success."