Van Poortvliet played for England A in their win over an Ireland second string back in Feburary Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has been called up to train with the British and Irish Lions after Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park suffered a minor glute strain. Van Poortvliet will fly to Dublin on Tuesday morning to help the team prepare for their match against Argentina on Friday. Gibson-Park, England's Alex Mitchell and Wales' Tomos Williams are the three scrum-halves named in head coach Andy Farrell's original squad. Farrell has called up several players to help the Lions prepare for their warm-up match against the Pumas, with England front-rowers Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour filling in, in the absence of players involved in the Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals last weekend, before returning home. Van Poortvliet was England's first-choice nine before the 2023 Rugby World Cup but sustained an ankle injury, which forced him to withdraw from the tournament and gave Mitchell an opportunity to stake his claim. He has been in fine form during Leicester's run to the Premiership final and edged ahead of Harry Randall to earn a place on the bench at the back end of England's Six Nations campaign. Gibson-Park, widely assumed to be the leading contender to start at nine in the three-Test series against Australia this summer, pulled out of Leinster's URC final against the Bulls on the morning of Saturday's match. He is part of a contingent of Leinster players who arrive for Lions duty carrying injuries, with tight-head prop Tadhg Furlong and full-back Hugo Keenan reporting calf complaints. Furlong has made just nine appearances for his province and Ireland this season and is a particular concern withScotland's Zander Fagerson already pulling out of the tour with injury. Finlay Bealham and England's Will Stuart are the other tight-head options in the squad, with Opoku-Fordjour, who can play on both sides of the scrum, seemingly on stand-by after his role in camp last week. Van Poortvliet's call-up to the Lions leaves England a scrum-half short as they prepare for their matchagainst a France XV at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium on Saturday.
Van Poortvliet called up to train with Lions as cover for Gibson-Park
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"Jack van Poortvliet called up to British and Irish Lions training as Jamison Gibson-Park sidelined by injury"
Bbc News
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TruthLens AI Summary
Leicester scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has been called up to train with the British and Irish Lions following a minor glute strain suffered by Ireland's Jamison Gibson-Park. Van Poortvliet, who had previously been England's first-choice scrum-half before an ankle injury sidelined him from the 2023 Rugby World Cup, will travel to Dublin on Tuesday morning to assist the team in their preparations for the upcoming match against Argentina on Friday. In addition to Gibson-Park, head coach Andy Farrell had initially included England's Alex Mitchell and Wales' Tomos Williams in the squad, but the call-up of Van Poortvliet highlights the ongoing adjustments required due to player injuries. The Lions are also bringing in several other players to bolster the squad as they prepare for their warm-up match, including front-rowers Jamie George and Asher Opoku-Fordjour, who are stepping in for players occupied with the Premiership and United Rugby Championship finals over the weekend.
Gibson-Park's withdrawal from Leinster's URC final against the Bulls on the day of the match raised concerns, especially since he was anticipated to be the leading candidate for the starting scrum-half position in the three-Test series against Australia this summer. Alongside Gibson-Park, other Leinster players such as tight-head prop Tadhg Furlong and full-back Hugo Keenan are also dealing with injuries, complicating the Lions' lineup. With Furlong's limited appearances this season and Zander Fagerson already out due to injury, the tight-head position has become a focal point of concern for the Lions. Van Poortvliet's selection not only reinforces the Lions' squad but also leaves England in a predicament as they prepare for a match against a France XV at Twickenham's Allianz Stadium on Saturday, as they will now be short of a scrum-half due to his commitment to the Lions' training camp.
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