Summary:
- Tomos Williams has been ruled out of the British and Irish Lions Australia tour because of a hamstring injury.
- Ben White will join the squad from Scotland to fill the scrum-half vacancy.
- Jamison Gibson-Park will return from injury to play against Queensland Reds on July 2.
The British and Irish Lions have been dealt a major setback with Tomos Williams ruled out for the remainder of their Australia tour due to a hamstring injury sustained during Saturday’s match against the Western Force at Optus Stadium.
Lions Manager Evans: “Tomos Is An Exemplary Lion Who Has Had a Brilliant Season”
Williams, who had made a strong case for Test selection with two tries in just his second Lions appearance, will now return home, leaving Wales represented only by Jac Morgan in Andy Farrell’s squad.
To fill the gap at scrum-half, Ben White has been called up from Scotland’s squad in New Zealand and is expected to join the Lions camp on Monday.
Unfortunately, Tomos has been ruled out of the rest of the tour with a hamstring injury. Ben White will join us from the Scotland squad and will fly over from New Zealand
There is some relief as Jamison Gibson-Park recovers from a glute injury that sidelined him for the first two matches.
Gibson-Park will make his tour debut on Wednesday against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane, donning the No. 9 jersey, with England’s Alex Mitchell available off the bench. Mitchell, if selected, will be the only player to appear in all three warm-up games.
Lions manager Ieuan Evans expressed sympathy for Williams, calling the news “desperately sad” and praising his impact.
Tomos is an exemplary Lion who has had a brilliant season, having joined the tour after being named Premiership Rugby’s player of the season. He lit up this Lions tour with his personality and his talent.
Head Coach Farrell: “It’s Shocking News for Us All.”
The squad for the Reds match sees several returns and changes. Captain Maro Itoje is back in the second row alongside Ollie Chessum, full-back Hugo Keenan returns from calf injury, and Finn Russell continues at fly-half after impressing in Perth.
Head coach Andy Farrell reflected on the blow to the team:
It’s shocking news for us all. We’re not just going to miss an outstanding player – he played unbelievably well and it was some try that he was actually injured by. We’re also going to miss the bloke. He’s very popular and that makes it a little bit tougher.
White’s arrival will bring fresh energy to the squad, and Farrell noted,
Ben will be devastated for Tomos, like we all are. But at the same time, he’s super excited. He obviously had ambition to get into the squad – as did many others who didn’t get selected – so now he gets his chance.
The Lions continue their Australian campaign with warm-up matches against the Reds, Waratahs, Brumbies, and others leading up to the three-Test series against the Wallabies, starting July 19 in Brisbane.