Lions Add Gregor Brown To Squad With Joe Mccarthy An Injury Doubt For Second Test

The Ireland fastener Joe McCarthy is simply a uncertainty for nan British & Irish Lions’ 2nd Test against nan Wallabies owed to a ft injury. Andy Farrell has called up Scotland’s Gregor Brown to bolster his second-row ranks arsenic a result, taking an already bloated squad to 45 players.

McCarthy was taken disconnected aft 43 minutes of the Lions’ 27-19 triumph complete Australia successful Brisbane connected Saturday and Farrell confirmed his early withdrawal was down to injury. “It’s plantar fasciitis,” said Farrell. “It was niggling distant astatine him there. We sewage him off. Hopefully we sewage him disconnected successful time.”

Brown becomes nan latest summation to nan squad pursuing Scotland’s triumph complete Samoa successful Auckland connected Friday and was owed to get successful Melbourne connected Sunday on pinch compatriots Ewan Ashman and Rory Sutherland. With Darcy Graham having already arrived successful camp, location are now 12 Scots successful nan squad, while Jamie George, Thomas Clarkson and Jamie Osborne are erstwhile further call-ups. Farrell is wished to remainder his frontline stars for Tuesday’s conflict pinch nan First Nations & Pasifika XV.

In Saturday’s victory, Farrell’s battalion group nan reside for nan tourists, overpowering nan Wallabies successful a first-half onslaught. But he whitethorn beryllium forced into a reshuffle successful Melbourne.“I thought we sewage nan commencement really right, particularly nan guardant pack,” said nan wrong centre, Sione Tuipulotu. “The measurement they were knocking them backmost successful nan first 10 minutes sucked nan life retired of nan Wallabies. Credit chiefly to nan guardant pack, nan measurement they started that crippled and really nipped them successful nan bud.”

Farrell was speedy to pass his players to beware of wounded Wallabies this week, referring to nan 2013 circuit erstwhile nan Lions won nan opener successful Brisbane earlier Australia levelled nan bid successful Melbourne. Joe Schmidt is assured his broadside will beryllium bolstered by nan ball-carrying powerfulness of Rob Valentini who is fresh again aft a calf problem.

Owen Farrell practises his kicking earlier nan first Test against nan Wallabies. Photograph: Patrick Hamilton/AFP/Getty Images

Tuipulotu is only excessively alert of nan threats he poses. “I grew up pinch Rob Valentini, I cognize what he brings to nan team,” he said. “Guys for illustration Will Skelton and if they travel disconnected nan wounded database they’ll decidedly add. But they’re each things that we request to hole for. I thought we were beautiful ascendant but nan bully point for america is that it was obscurity adjacent our champion performance. We’ve still sewage a batch to activity on.

“They person to beryllium [desperate], don’t they? Of people we expect that but I deliberation nan astir important point is we expect them to beryllium hopeless but not much hopeless than america because we’re trying to adjacent retired a bid adjacent Saturday.”

Farrell will sanction his broadside to look nan First Nations and Pasifika XV connected Monday. Owen Farrell is expected to make his first commencement of nan circuit and is simply a contender for nan captaincy, on pinch Jamie George, Wales’s Jac Morgan and nan Ireland duo of Ryan and Josh van der Flier.