Jack van Poortvliet handed Lions call-up
Van Poortvliet has won 15 caps since making his senior international debut on England's tour of Australia in 2022. The 24-year-old started for Leicester Tigers in the Premiership final at the weekend and was promptly named as one of three scrum-halves in Steve Borthwick's latest training camp.
Ben Spencer, a newly-crowned Premiership champion with Bath, and Raffi Quirke of Sale Sharks were the other two options in Borthwick's 36-man group. Will Porter and Charlie Bracken are among the scrum-halves to have been in training earlier this summer, with Harry Randall injured.
As far as other candidates should the Lions require a permanent replacement for Gibson-Park, Ben White is still involved in Toulon's Top 14 campaign. He, George Horne and the versatile Jamie Dobie were named as part of the Scotland squad that will travel to take on the Maori All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa this summer.
This call-up for Van Poortvliet is no guarantee that he will make the trip to Australia or remain with the Lions beyond this weekend.
Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour both spent last week training with the Lions in Portugal before returning to the England fold as players from Bath, Leicester and Leinster were reintegrated into Farrell's cohort.
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