Revitalised and revved up Bowe is ready to face the Force

Paul O’Connell was not the only Irish player to make a late, injury-hit run onto Warren Gatland’s British & Irish Lions squad.

Fellow former Lion Tommy Bowe was in the same situation having suffered knee ligament damage during his first season back at Ulster after three seasons with the Ospreys in Wales.

The 29-year-old wing’s hopes of selection received a serious setback last December when injury struck during a Heineken Cup pool game against Northampton at Ravenhill and it would be four months before he could return to action, having missed the chance to put himself in the Lions’ shop window during the Six Nations.

Tries in back-to-back games on his comeback for Ulster in April helped his cause, as did a robust cameo in midfield during the Heineken Cup quarter-final defeat to Saracens but Bowe’s selection was still far from given in the Monaghan man’s mind.

“It’s probably the most nervous I’ve very been coming up to a competition or a tournament or anything,” Bowe said of the long wait in the build-up to Gatland’s squad selection on April 30.

“The day the squad was announced, I was bricking it. Having only played two and a half games was not the ideal way to put your hand up for selection but when it was announced I was absolutely delighted.”

Bowe believes that with Dan Lydiate, Richie Gray, O’Connell and Jonny Sexton having experienced similar paths to selection, their lack of gametime this season now becomes an asset to the tourists.

“I think that’ll be a huge bonus for a couple of us. Once we get our match fitness up... as long as you can stay injury free we’ll all be staying fresh.”

The mindset Bowe has coming into this tour, however, as he prepares to face Western Force in Perth tomorrow, has moved on considerably from when he first toured in 2009 and came out on the losing side in a 2-1 series defeat to South Africa.

“I was thrilled to be there, to be picked in the squad,” he said. “This time my main priority is to get picked in the Test squad, but I want to win.

“Warren’s here to pick a team that will win the series. He wants to be 2-0 up and I think that’s exciting for us because he’s breeding that confidence. That’s shining through the squad.”