Best delighted after belated Lions call

Ireland hooker Rory Best was last night called into the Lions squad for the tour of Hong Kong and Australia.

The Lions turned to Best after Dylan Hartley was banned for 11 weeks after being found guilty of verbally abusing referee Wayne Barnes in the Aviva Premiership final on Saturday.

A final decision on Hartley’s participation will be dependent on the outcome of any potential appeal.

Best was delighted to have received the call: “It hasn’t fully sunk in yet, it is hard to describe because it is the ultimate for a rugby player,” he said last night.

“To finally be selected makes playing professional rugby worthwhile.

“All the lows that you get and the knocks and bumps, it more than makes up for them and for a few weeks ago when I thought that the chance had gone.”

He added: “When you don’t make squads, you doubt your ability and the way that you are playing.

“I was fairly happy with the way that I was playing, but the support that I have had over the past number of weeks, not just from friends and family but also from the Ulster Rugby players and management and from the fans and general public has meant a lot to me.

“Now, to finally be there, it’s hard to put into words, it makes it all worthwhile.

Hartley was dismissed for allegedly calling referee Wayne Barnes a “f****** cheat” shortly before the interval in Leicester’s 37-17 victory at Twickenham.

The minimum ban for swearing at officials is six weeks but Hartley has insisted, via Saints director of rugby Jim Mallinder, that his comments were aimed at Leicester hooker Tom Youngs.

Mallinder said Hartley’s version of events was backed up by a number of other senior players.

“I asked Dylan at half-time and I’ve just asked him again ’what happened? What did you say?’

He said he was talking to Tom Youngs.

“If you talk like that to a player I wouldn’t expect anything to happen. Clearly, Wayne Barnes has believed Dylan has spoken to him.”