Lions call in Van Poortvliet as cover amid Gibson-Park injury concerns
DUBLIN (AP) — England scrumhalf Jack van Poortvliet has been called in by the British & Irish Lions as injury cover ahead of its tour opener against Argentina in Dublin on Friday.
The Lions didn't say which of the squad's three scrumhalves needed cover, but Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park missed Leinster's win over the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship final on Saturday with an injury.
Van Poortvliet, who has 15 caps for England, will fly to Dublin on Tuesday to join up with the Lions. On Monday, he was named in England's 36-player training squad ahead of a match against a France XV on Saturday.
After the Argentina game, the Lions will fly Down Under for a nine-match tour of Australia containing three tests against the Wallabies.
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AP rugby: https://apnews.com/hub/rugby
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Champagne moments 1) Elliot Daly's perfectly engineered late try for England in the aforementioned France game. 2) Tomos Williams' basketball-style offload to Seb Atkinson in Gloucester's win over Bristol at Kingsholm. 3=) Adam Radwan's flying score for Leicester in their Premiership semi-final against Sale Sharks. 3=) Kalaveti Ravouvou's reverse offload to set up Gabriel Ibitoye against Leicester in April. Men's player of the season Louis Bielle-Biarrey (France). Simply magnifique for club and country. Women's player of the season Ilona Maher (Bristol Bears). In terms of popularising women's rugby she is doing a fabulous job. 'The impact she's had on the game as a whole is pretty phenomenal,' confirmed her club captain Amber Reed. Best comeback Leicester conceding 80 points in Toulouse in January and bouncing back to make the Premiership final in June. Most influential Premiership players 1 =) Finn Russell (Bath), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Ben Spencer (Bath). 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You look at the calibre of the England coaching team and you have to question whether that's the best we can put out there' – Will Carling on Radio 4's Today programme during the Six Nations. We won the game and people are still upset about it. It blew my mind, to be honest. Ex-players, recently retired and long retired, and people from years and years ago, I just can't believe how out of touch they are' – Ellis Genge after England's Calcutta Cup win. Hopefully they're filling up the pubs of south-west London, having a good time and jumping up and down on sofas all across England' – Maro Itoje following England's dramatic win over France at Twickenham. We pull up at a roundabout and a car pulls up next to us. Mum and grandma are in the front seat and there's a kid who can't have been more than five. His grandma winds down the back window and the kid just gives us the middle finger. It's things like that – and the rivalry – that make this fixture so special. It does rev you up a little bit' – Ollie Chessum on the traditionally warm reception England always receive in Cardiff. I want Louis Bielle-Biarrey underpants, duvet covers and a red scrum cap for whenever it rains or, for that matter, whenever it doesn't. I want to move next door to LBB in UBB; I want Louis Bielle-Biarrey to marry my daughter' – France's star winger can do no wrong in the eyes of RugbyPass's columnist Graham Simmons. Better than sex. Don't tell my wife that!' – Henry Slade clearly enjoyed Exeter's win over Gloucester in December, the Chiefs' first league win for 232 days. Boys getting run into the ground is no good. Is there a silver bullet that's going to sort it all out? Probably not. I've always said we're a guinea pig era' – Ellis Genge on the reality of modern pro rugby. I just said to them: 'I am absolutely embarrassed, guys. And I hope you all are when you pick up your wages next week. 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While Friday night's game against Argentina in Dublin will raise bucketloads of cash, the fixture is not entirely what it says on the tin: the Pumas will be forced to field an understrength side while the Lions are either still battered and bruised from last weekend's finals or hoping to climb aboard the plane to Australia in one piece. Nor will the Lions be awarding Test caps. The scoreline will be less significant than the (hopefully positive) fitness updates that subsequently emerge. Memory lane To May 2001 and the Army rugby stadium in Aldershot, where head coach Graham Henry is putting his Lions players through their paces before their tour of Australia. Specifically in this case, rucking practice, with Dan Luger and Darren Morris front and centre. The Lions would surge to victory in the first Test but were pegged back and then ultimately denied in the decider by the Wallabies. Still want more? Bath's treble win blends yesteryear charm with the recently unthinkable, writes Michael Aylwin. Advertisement Finn Russell is, understandably, basking in Bath's triumph before his focus turns to the Lions. And Michael Cheika was not happy after Dan Cole's late yellow card in the Premiership final. Subscribe To subscribe to the Breakdown, just visit this page and follow the instructions. And sign up for The Recap, the best of our sports writing from the past seven days.
