Chris Robshaw is the unsung hero the Lions can’t do without, says Harlequins team-mate Nick Evans

Chris Robshaw will be on the Lions tour to New Zealand despite missing England’s Six Nations success, predicts Nick Evans.

Robshaw underwent shoulder surgery in January and will return to action when Harlequins host Newcastle tomorrow.

Warren Gatland will name his Lions squad on April 19 so time is out running out for Robshaw to remind the head coach about his expertise in the back-row, an area containing a number of outstanding candidates.

Robshaw was key in England’s Grand Slam last season and helped secure a 3-0 Test series victory in Australia before continuing to impress in the four autumn Tests.

Despite Robshaw missing this year’s Six Nations, Evans believes his Quins team-mate will be on the plane to New Zealand at the end of May.

“I think 100 per cent that Chris has enough in the bank to make the Lions squad and his form throughout the autumn internationals was brilliant,” said Evans, who won 16 caps with the All Blacks.

“Purely, from a mental side of things, what Chris has gone through, losing the captaincy after the World Cup and then to come out and play so well in every game says a lot of about him.

“He does a lot of the unseen work for the team and that puts a lot of credit in the bank for him. I am definitely not writing off Chris and people have done that before and been made to look silly. Warren Gatland will look at the balance of his back row and see that Chris can offer the unsung hero sort of work.”

Besides Robshaw, England’s James Haskell and Billy Vunipola are in the mix for the back row while Ireland’s Peter O’Mahony, Jamie Heaslip and Sean O’Brien all caught Gatland’s eye during the Six Nations.

The biggest threats to Robshaw come from Ireland’s CJ Stander and Sam Warburton, who led the Lions to a series triumph in Australia in 2013 and is favourite to retain the captaincy.

With Justin Tipuric having been handed the Wales No7 jersey, Warburton has followed Robshaw’s lead and turned himself into a world-class blind-side flanker.

Stander has enjoyed an impressive season for Ireland in the No6 role and moved into the No8 position to help defeat England last weekend when Heaslip was ruled out by injury just before kick-off.

Evans knows his own playing future is up for debate but does not believe his 37th birthday in August plus the arrival this summer of Demetri Catrakilis from Montpellier automatically signals the end of his Quins career.

Catrakilis joins Tim Swiel and Ruaridh Jackson in the fight for the Quins fly-half jersey Evans has filled so expertly, scoring more than 1,500 points since arriving from New Zealand in 2008.

Evans has been hampered by a series of injuries but hopes to play a key role as the club attempt to secure a European Champions Cup spot in their 150th anniversary season.

“I have another year of my contract with Quins and I will make a decision at the end of the season,” he said. “Since being over here I have been pretty lucky with injuries and it was bound to happen at some point.”