Fly-Half Cover Added to British & Irish Lions Squad Amid JGP Injury Concern
England’s Jack van Poortvliet Joins Lions Training in Dublin
Leicester Tigers and England scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has been called into the British & Irish Lions training squad and will arrive in Dublin this morning as preparations continue for Friday night’s 1888 Cup clash against Argentina.
The 24-year-old is joining the squad as precautionary cover following the late withdrawal of Jamison Gibson-Park, who was ruled out of the URC final for Leinster on Saturday morning. The nature of Gibson-Park’s injury has not been confirmed, but his absence from Leinster’s squad appears to have prompted the Lions’ call-up.
Van Poortvliet, who has earned 15 caps for England since making his debut in Perth against Australia in 2022, was named in Steve Borthwick’s 36-man training group for this weekend’s match against a France XV. His involvement with the Lions may now take precedence, depending on injury updates across both squads.
Predicted Lions Starting XV vs Argentina
With several senior players rested and others tied up in the URC final, the Lions are expected to field a mix of youth and experience on Friday. Here’s a predicted starting XV for the 1888 Cup fixture:
1. Pierre Schoeman – Scotland
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie – England
3. Finlay Bealham – 🇮🇪 Ireland
4. Maro Itoje – England
5. Tadhg Beirne – 🇮🇪 Ireland
6. Tom Curry – England
7. Jac Morgan – Wales
8. Henry Pollock – England
9. Alex Mitchell – England
10. Finn Smith – England
11. Mack Hansen – 🇮🇪 Ireland or Duhan van der Merwe – Scotland
12. Bundee Aki – 🇮🇪 Ireland
13. Elliot Daly – England
14. Tommy Freeman – England
15. Marcus Smith – England
Key Talking Points:
- Gibson-Park’s injury creates unexpected reshuffle at scrum-half.
- Van Poortvliet could now feature for the Lions despite being in England’s training squad.
- Potentially exciting backline combinations with Marcus Smith and Finn Smith both included.
- Lions management likely to confirm the matchday 23 in the next 48 hours.
