Andy Farrell admits Tomos Williams will be a major loss for the British and Irish Lions after he was forced out of the Australia tour with a significant hamstring injury.
Williams, one of only two Wales players picked by the Lions, will return home on Monday after Farrell revealed the damage incurred while scoring the second of his two excellent tries against Western Force on Saturday will sideline him for the “medium to long term”.
Ben White has been called up from the Scotland squad that is currently in New Zealand to fill the vacancy and will arrive into camp on Monday, when he will be joined by Blair Kinghorn, who is now available after helping Toulouse win the Top 14 final.
For Williams, it is a case of what might have been, as the reigning Gallagher Premiership player of the year had been outstanding in his two appearances on tour, placing him firmly in contention for a Test place against the Wallabies.
“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,” Farrell said.
“We’re also going to miss the bloke. We have only been together for a few weeks now but his character is everything you want to have in your group on a Lions tour. He’s very popular and that makes it a little bit tougher.
“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.”
Williams’ withdrawal is partially offset by Jamison Gibson-Park’s recovery from the glute issue that enables him to make his Lions debut against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Wednesday.
Gibson-Park forms a half-back partnership with Finn Russell – a playmaking axis that was the pre-tour favourite to start against the Wallabies.
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Full-back Hugo Keenan and replacement lock James Ryan will also make their first appearances for the tourists after recovering from their respective calf and quad injuries.
Lions captain Maro Itoje returns to the second row after being stood down for the 54-7 victory over the Force, forming an engine room partnership with Ollie Chessum.
The Reds match begins a hectic spell of four games in 11 days leading into the first Test against the Wallabies, also in Brisbane, on July 19.
“Here we go now. This is proper touring. Games are coming thick and fast, so this is the exciting part of the tour for us,” Farrell said.
“We’ve been outlining to the lads what the weeks are going to look like – not much training, actually, just out there on the field and plenty of mental preparation.
“But if you ask any player, what would they rather do? Be involved in big games, playing for the Lions, or training every day? I know which I’d rather do.
“We see it as a great opportunity for ourselves to be fast-tracking our ambition, our potential as a team.”
