Arm injury leaves Lions sweating on O’Connell fitness

An arm injury sustained in the first-Test victory over Australia has placed Paul O’Connell’s Lions tour in jeopardy.

O’Connell, the Munster and Ireland lock on his third tour as a British & Irish Lion, was one of the stand-out performers for the tourists in the 23-21 win over the Wallabies in Brisbane on Saturday and played the full 80 minutes, but rumours began to circulate around the camp that the arm injury may be worse than first feared.

The Lions yesterday called up Ulster loosehead prop Tom Court as emergency cover for Alex Corbisiero, himself a late addition to the squad in place of the injured Cian Healy, who suffered a tight calf during the Test match. The official announcement mentioned O’Connell’s injury but merely stated the 33-year-old “continues to be treated and assessed”.