We asked four of the BBC's analysts - ex-England centre Jeremy Guscott, former Ireland hooker Keith Wood, ex-Scotland scrum-half Andy Nicol and Wales fly-half legend Jonathan Davies - to pick their likely Lions Test teams as things stand, before the autumn international series begins.
As things stood the week before the elec tion, seven seats were expected to shift from one party to the other, not including the 13 rated as even.
The Corps, as things stood, was not yet in charge.
In autumn 2012, before Cameron had promised a European referendum, Gove weighed in unhelpfully, letting the Mail on Sunday know that, as things stood, he would be voting to get out of the EU.
As things stand Newcastle will be promoted before kick-off, because Nottingham Forest are currently being held 0-0 by Cardiff.
As things stand, any new EU constitution, before it comes into force, will have to be approved unanimously by all 25 countries that will be in the club by 2004.
So far, the players themselves have copped all the punishment – the immediate inconvenience and humiliation of packing their bags and leaving the country by early September and, as things stand, a 10-year ban before they can return to the UK.
As things stand, women born after 1950, but before 1953, face a sharp rise towards equalisation of the pension age at 65.
Much may depend on the calendar: as things stand, the parliamentary election will be held just before the presidential one.
As things stand, the first new members are unlikely to get in before 2005.
