Eddie praises honest D’Arcy’s decision

Simon Lewis, Auckland

D'Arcy, the 2004 Six Nations Player of the Tournament, was in the frame for an all too rare opportunity to pull on a Lions shirt in a Test match this weekend given his encouraging performance against Auckland on Tuesday and, more tellingly, the scarcity of fit midfield players in Clive Woodward's touring party.

He was described on the Lions team-sheet issued yesterday as suffering from "general fatigue" and Woodward implied D'Arcy, 25, had not been ruled out by medical staff but had removed himself from the selection process, a highly unusual step to take given that the award of a Lions Test jersey is a rare honour to be cherished, even on this unsuccessful tour.