Jamie George will soon be on his way to join up with the Lions in Brisbane, after being withdrawn from England’s second Test against Argentina, to prepare for an arduous journey from the Andes to Australia.
The 34-year-old is rapidly responding to an emergency call-up from Andy Farrell, in order to provide cover for fellow England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, who appeared to be knocked out during the 48-0 win over an Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV here.
Cowan-Dickie is expected to join Ireland centre Garry Ringrose as a concussion casualty who will be unavailable for the first Test against the Wallabies next Saturday.
Cowan-Dickie was left motionless on the pitch in the first half at the Adelaide Oval after attempting to tackle opposition lock Lukhan Salakaia-Loto.
He was treated for several minutes before being stretchered off with his neck in a brace. Shortly after half-time, the Sale veteran was seen walking around the perimeter of the field towards the tunnel and waving to nearby Lions fans.
While he goes through return-to-play protocols, George will set off from San Juan – where England take on the Pumas on Saturday – and fly to Brisbane via stops in Buenos Aires and Dubai.
He will meet up with the Lions squad early next week as an experienced, pedigree reinforcement. Dan Sheehan will be the tourists’ starting hooker in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium, under-studied by compatriot Ronan Kelleher, but George will provide vital, additional cover.
Meanwhile, the setback for Ringrose has created more upheaval for Lions head coach Farrell, as he seeks to fine-tune his selection plans for the first Test.
The Leinster and Ireland centre had given himself every chance of inclusion in the starting XV with a commanding midweek display in the win over the Brumbies in Canberra, but he later began to suffer from concussion symptoms.
‘Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction, headaches for a day which carried on the next day,’ said Farrell.
‘He went through concussion protocols and failed those. Unfortunately for Garry and for us, he’s out for 12 days. So, he is out of the first Test, but he could be back for the midweek game between the Tests.’
The untimely head knock for Ringrose has created an opportunity for Scotland centre Huw Jones to claim the No 13 shirt for the first Test, but the overall make-up of the midfield will remain a subject of intrigue until Farrell names his line-up on Thursday in Brisbane.
