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.

Instead, Will Greenwood was due to start at inside centre alongside Test captain Gareth Thomas.

Woodward's assistant Test coach O'Sullivan yesterday confirmed D'Arcy's action and said: "He's really beaten up at the moment. He had a big game Tuesday night and he's exhausted.

"Clive discussed it with him yesterday morning and they talked about his state of health and he told him he was pretty exhausted. It's a big call for him, he could have said nothing maybe. But he wasn't up for Test rugby and he could've under-performed and let himself and the team down. So it's a pretty brave call and I like to think that that sort of honesty should be encouraged in a player. He felt that way and I'm okay with that. He's done the right thing."

Given that D'Arcy has had a shortened season due to injury problems, O'Sullivan conceded it had been an out of the ordinary decision.

"I suppose it is a bit unusual but although he hasn't had a long season it's been a tough season. He hasn't played a lot of rugby but match fitness-wise he's not where we'd want him to be. So if he wasn't going to be able to go out and play and give 100% we've got to go and get a player that can and Will is ready to go."

Returning to Ireland coach mode, O'Sullivan added: "We'll sit down with the Irish boys when we get home and talk to them about the tour and get their thoughts on it.

"The other thing we've got to do is look at how this tour affects them going forward in their careers. What did they learn, could they have had a better tour. Gordon's a player who came here with a reputation and could have been in the Test side but hasn't made it. So we'll be talking about that and making sure his head's in the right place come the start of next season."

Meanwhile, O'Sullivan has said there could be merit in British and Irish Lions trips becoming Test-only tours if that was the only criteria for success.

"You have to question playing two games a week. It is a huge demand," he said.

"If a Lions tour is based on a successful Test series, and that is the only thing that matters, then maybe you should just play a Test series.

"It is a big question, going forward, for the Lions, and maybe the lessons of this tour and the last tell us a lot."

Despite losing injured backs Jonny Wilkinson and Gavin Henson from their plans for the final Test, O'Sullivan said preparations had gone well.

"The mood in the camp has been exceptional. The guys want to go out and finish this tour on a high note.

"I think the team would like to prove they are good enough to win a Test match in New Zealand."