John Dalziel: 'It's the right time to do it with the right players. We're not giving away opportunities lightly'

RIGHT TIME: The British & Irish Lions have defended their decision to call up new players for their final midweek fixture of the Australian tour to protect their Test players, with assistant coach John Dalziel insisting the tourists’ famous jersey has not been devalued. Pic: ©INPHO/Dan Sheridan

The British & Irish Lions have defended their decision to call up new players for their final midweek fixture of the Australian tour to protect their Test players, with assistant coach John Dalziel insisting the tourists’ famous jersey has not been devalued.

Lions head coach Andy Farrell on Monday called up a trio of Scotland players ahead of next week’s midweek clash with a First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne.

The Lions face the Wallabies in the first Test here in Brisbane this Saturday with head coach Farrell conscious of the need to keep his matchday 23, to be named on Friday, out of the firing line three days later for a tour match four days out from the second Test.

Ireland centre Jamie Osborne joined the squad in Brisbane at the weekend, while Tuesday will see the arrival of England hooker Jamie George straight from his country’s tour of Argentina and tighthead prop Thomas Clarkson, who played in Ireland’s record victory over Portugal in Lisbon on Sunday.

The latest additions are loosehead prop and 2021 Lion Rory Sutherland, hooker Ewan Ashman and wing Darcy Graham, who were on Scotland’s tour of New Zealand, where Gregor Townsend’s squad are preparing to play Samoa.

The half dozen new faces, who will raise the playing squad to 44 players, immediately brought to mind the 2017 Lions tour’s so-called “Geography Six”, whom Warren Gatland called up to cover the final two midweek matches on their New Zealand tour.

Cory Hill, Gareth Davies, Kristian Dacey and Tomas Francis of Wales and Finn Russell and Allan Dell from Scotland were named on the bench for the tour matches against New Zealand’s Chiefs and Hurricanes, though only fly-half Russell and prop Dell saw game time as replacements.

Asked if similar call-ups this time around devalued the Lions jersey, as the tourists began their preparations for this Saturday’s first Test against Australia, Dalziel replied: "No, I think naturally at this stage of the tour that the games that are more intense. Geographically, we're getting people here if they do need to play.

“I think it's the right time to do it with the right players. We're not giving away opportunities lightly. It's quality players like Darcy Graham and Rory Sutherland, an ex-Lions international. These are players who will come in and add value to the group."

Yet Dalziel, the Scotland forwards coach, admitted the six new players may not even stay with the full Lions squad until the end of the tour, which concludes with the third Test against the Wallabies in Syndey on August 2.

"It'll be on an individual basis, based on what's going to happen through the week and Saturday again as well. We'll assess after that. But we'll make that decision after that."

Asked if that meant they could leave the tour prematurely, he said: "Yeah. In terms of where we're at and the way that we see the games, with specialist positions, in a training session, you could lose someone.

“We've already lost Luke (Cowan-Dickie) to the (concussion) protocol. It doesn't give us cover for the games. We have to have the right people here.

“Someone like Jamie George started the tour with us, to prepare well in Portugal so that should it be that he's needed, he comes ready to go. All these things have been thought out really well. We'll have the right numbers here to assist us and have the best performance through training and into the games."

With the first Test matchday 23 for Suncorp Stadium set to be named by Farrell on Friday, Dalziel said there were no new injury concerns to add to the concussions sustained by Garry Ringrose against the Brumbies last Wednesday and Cowan-Dickie last Saturday in Adelaide. Both have been stood down for 12 days, justifying the decisions to bring in wing Graham and hookers George and Ashman.

"The players we've mentioned, Darcy Graham, in a lot of people's eyes he was very, very close to selection. He's a fantastic player, a lad that would probably be, rightfully, a bit disappointed not making it originally.

“He's been back playing so he's somebody who will come in with Garry Ringrose out and not available for the next two games. So it's that ability to provide the numbers we have on the training ground but also anything that might happen through training or after the weekend.” 

There had also been a suggestion Mack Hansen had sustained an arm injury in Saturday’s win over an AUSNZ Invitational XV but Dalziel said: "He's fine and he's doing the walkthrough today."

The Lions assistant also outlined why Clarkson had been added to the squad, becoming the third Irish tighthead prop on the tour in addition to Leinster team-mate Tadhg Furlong and Connacht’s Finlay Bealham, with England’s Will Stuart also in the party.

Clarkson was a try scorer in Ireland’s 106-7 hammering of Portugal in his eighth Test appearance having played in four of his country’s Six Nations matches, starting against Wales, and starting for Leinster in their run to the URC title last month.

"We've seen his form at the end of the season so he was hugely on the radar and now in Test weeks, it just takes an injury in training or at the weekend and in specialist positions, you're a bit light. The days and difficulty you get travel-wise, we felt it's the right time in the tour to bolster that up in areas that are going to be vital."