Lions Face New Injury Blow With Mack Hansen Expected To Miss First Australia Test

The Ireland helping Mack Hansen is expected to miss retired connected a spot successful nan British & Irish Lions’ squad for nan first Test against nan Wallabies connected Saturday pinch a ft injury. Hansen’s setback comes pinch nan fullback Blair Kinghorn besides poised to miss retired aft some skipped training connected Tuesday.

The Lions person not yet officially ruled Hansen aliases Kinghorn retired of contention to look Australia successful Brisbane, but coach Andy Farrell has already privately picked his broadside for Saturday and fixed neither subordinate was capable to train connected Tuesday it seems improbable that either will feature.

Losing Hansen is simply a rustle to Farrell who reserved typical praise for nan Ireland winger aft his capacity against Western Force earlier successful nan tour. Canberra-born Hansen had been pushing Tommy Freeman difficult for a spot connected nan correct helping earlier an wounded sustained successful past Saturday’s thumping 48-0 triumph complete nan AUNZ Invitational XV successful Adelaide.

On Monday, nan forwards coach John Dalziel denied that Hansen was carrying an wounded contempt nan determination to expedite Darcy Graham’s presence into nan squad up of his Scotland colleagues Ewan Ashman and Rory Sutherland. The Lions person since confirmed, however, that Hansen sustained nan wounded past Saturday.

“He wounded his ft successful nan game, I don’t deliberation it is thing superior but he was managed today,” said Lions adjunct coach Richard Wigglesworth. “Hopefully he will beryllium afloat integrated beautiful quickly. It is thing that we are overly concerned astir but we request to make judge we person capable numbers astatine training. But it doesn’t look excessively serious. A uncertainty is anyone who didn’t train afloat today, but he’s decidedly not ruled out.

“We cognize we person sewage specified value crossed each positions truthful we would beryllium lying if we said [team selection] was easy. In position of really speedy it was location person been 2 aliases 3 conversations, we person picked and we will show nan lads tomorrow. Nothing has been announced truthful that’s ever taxable to alteration successful position of really they’ve trained and what that’s looked like. That’s why these things are kept backmost a bit.”

Hugo Keenan is expected to commencement astatine fullback erstwhile British & Irish Lions look nan Wallabies successful nan first Test successful Brisbane connected Saturday. Photograph: Matt Turner/AAP

With Kinghorn besides sitting retired training and Elliot Daly already sent location pinch a surgery arm, Hugo Keenan is expected to commencement astatine fullback while Marcus Smith could profit pinch a spot among nan replacements connected Saturday arsenic personification who offers screen astatine fullback. Against nan AUNZ Invitational XV, Smith was connected nan chair covering fly-half and fullback alongside Owen Farrell who impressed successful a 30-minute cameo astatine inside-centre.

Wigglesworth, who played alongside Farrell astatine Saracens for a decade, added: “I’ve enjoyed [working pinch him again]. He’s done precisely what we knew he was going to do successful position of thief and influence, and evidently lend connected nan section erstwhile that clip came up. It’s been awesome to activity pinch him again, but I was astir apt much excited for each those who hadn’t worked pinch him, to beryllium capable to acquisition that. He’s been great, arsenic we knew he would be. Not everyone did, but we knew.

“It’s been connected grounds hundreds of times astir Owen. You each cognize really bully he is, nan power he has, his knowledge and really he helps different group get better. We each knew really bully he was going to beryllium and it’s been that way. He’s nan influential Owen that we cognize and love.”