Gordon D'Arcy, the Ireland and Leinster centre, has been called up to the British and Irish Lions squad. One of the stars of his country's Six Nations triumph, D'Arcy will join the tour on Thursday with a chance of facing the Cheetahs on Saturday.
The Lions lost Tom Shanklin, the Wales centre, to a shoulder injury before the tour started and have several players nursing minor problems. "Due to the short nature of this tour we have to be prepared for every eventuality," Ian McGeechan, the Lions head coach, said.
"An extra back will provide the extra depth to cover the existing injuries plus any further injuries."
D'Arcy, who has 41 Ireland caps, went on the 2005 Lions tour of New Zealand. "Gordon showed in the European Rugby Cup final and the recent Barbarians match against England that he is back to his best," McGeechan said.
"He was on our reserve list and we had no hesitation in calling him up to the squad as he is an extremely experienced player."
The Lions beat a Royal XV 37-24 in their opening game on Saturday after trailing by 12 points. They face South Africa in three Tests at Durban (June 20), Pretoria (June 27) and Johannesburg (July 4).
Source:The times
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