Lions Tour: Greening faces anxious wait

Phil Greening was today waiting to discover if he will play any part in the Lions tour of Australia.

England hooker Greening suffered a knee injury yesterday when the Lions players not involved in today’s opening match against Western Australia were put through their paces.

He underwent an MRI scan on his left knee after he was hurt during a routine training defensive drill.

The Lions medical team, headed by tour doctor James Robson, are continuing to assess 25-year-old Greening’s condition, with more news expected following the Western Australia game.

‘‘When the extent of the injury is clear, a further update will be given,’’ said Lions manager Donal Lenihan.

Wasps forward Greening, who has won 23 England caps and is on his first Lions trip, rejoined the squad at their Fremantle hotel last night.

If he is ruled out of the tour - the Lions only arrived Down Under last Saturday - then it would be a devastating blow for a player expected to understudy Test hooker Keith Wood.

He suffered an injury-hit domestic season, missing England’s Six Nations Championship fixtures against Wales, Italy and Scotland while recovering from knee surgery.

But he gained a surprise recall for the record 48-19 victory over France, when he scored one of England’s six tries.

Should the Lions management need to summon a replacement, Scotland’s Gordon Bulloch appears the front-runner, although England pair Dorian West and Mark Regan - currently on tour in Canada - couldn’t be discounted.

The Lions fly to Townsville tomorrow ahead of next Tuesday’s game against a Queensland President’s XV.

Australian winger Joe Roff (ankle) and flanker Matt Cockbain (eye infection) have been ruled out of Saturday’s match against the New Zealand Maori in Sydney.

World Cup winning full-back Matt Burke is promoted from the replacements to the wing and Mark Connors takes over from Cockbain.

Connors and Burke have been replaced on the bench by the uncapped Phil Waugh and Graeme Bond respectively.

Roff is not rated a doubt for the first Test against the Lions in Brisbane on June 30.