Jamie George was a notable omission from the initial British and Irish Lions squad
England hooker Jamie George has received a call-up to the British and Irish Lions squad, following concerns over Luke Cowan-Dickie’s fitness ahead of next Saturday’s opening Test against Australia.
Cowan-Dickie, 32, is facing a potential absence from the Brisbane match after sustaining a suspected concussion during Saturday’s victory over the AUNZ Invitational XV.
George, a veteran of two previous Lions tours, is currently in Argentina, where he was slated to co-captain England in their second Test. He will now join the Lions in Brisbane next week.
Prior to the squad’s departure for Australia, George also participated in training sessions with the Lions in Dublin.
The 34-year-old’s place in England’s starting line-up will be taken by Saracens teammate Theo Dan, with Curtis Langdon named on the bench.
“We’re absolutely delighted for Jamie’s selection,” commented England head coach Steve Borthwick.
“This is also a fantastic opportunity for Theo and Curtis, who have both worked incredibly hard and really impressed in training.
“They fully deserve this chance, we’re right behind them, and we’re all excited to see them go out there and make an impact.”
Luke Cowan-Dickie (being taken off on a stretcher) played in all three Tests on the British and Irish Lions’ tour of South Africa in 2021
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In related news, Lions head coach Andy Farrell has confirmed that centre Garry Ringrose will miss the first Test against Australia.
Ringrose, 30, a strong contender for a starting position in Brisbane, suffered a concussion during the Lions’ victory over the ACT Brumbies on Wednesday.
Farrell indicated that the Ireland centre, who scored and delivered a standout performance against the Brumbies, is expected to be available for the midweek match against First Nations and Pasifika XV on 22 July, ahead of the second Test in Melbourne on 26 July.
Huw Jones of Scotland delivered another impressive performance on Saturday in the eight-try win against the AUNZ Invitational XV, strengthening his chances of starting the opening Test at outside centre.
The 31-year-old has started his past two Lions games alongside Scotland and Glasgow Warriors centre partner Sione Tuipulotu, which could now be Farrell’s first-Test midfield combination.
Ireland utility back Jamie Osborne was called up to the Lions squad on Thursday as “training cover” for Scotland full-back Kinghorn and is comfortable playing at centre or full-back.
“Garry had a delayed reaction. He had headaches for a day and it carried on for the next day so he went through concussion protocols and failed those,” Farrell said.
“Unfortunately for him and for us he’s [out for] 12 days, so that puts him out of the first Test and back in for the midweek game before the second Test.
“You don’t mess around with these things and it is unfortunate for him and everyone else. He’s in good spirits anyway, so we crack on.”
The Lions’ final Test against the Wallabies is on 2 August in Sydney.
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