Stephen Ferris was ruled out of the Lions tour last night because of a knee injury — meaning another emergency call for Ryan Jones.
Ferris, the Ulster flanker, who had staked a strong claim to wear the No 6 jersey against the Springboks, has torn the medial ligament of his right knee.He will be sidelined for up to six weeks after suffering the injury in training on Monday.
It is a huge blow for the muscular Ferris, 23, whose pace, industry and two tries on tour put him in contention with Tom Croft for a starting place in the international series.
It resulted in another call-up for Jones, the Ospreys back-row forward, who was also an emergency replacement on the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand, but ended up playing in all three internationals.
Jones has since become captain of Wales but his form slipped sufficiently last season for him to be overlooked for the original party to South Africa. Jones’s misfortunes persisted when he was forced off with a head injury early in Wales’ 48-15 win over the United States in Chicago last Saturday, but he will join the Lions tomorrow.
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Croft, the Leicester back-row forward, plays against the Sharks at the ABSA Stadium tonight and a good display should secure him the international place ahead of Joe Worsley.
Leigh Halfpenny also needed a scan yesterday, after pulling up during extra kicking practice with a recurrence of the thigh strain that forced him to spend the first ten days of the tour at home in Cardiff having treatment.
Given the speed with which he recuperated then, there are fewer concerns for Halfpenny, at 20 the youngest member of the party, but he was withdrawn from tonight’s replacements, James Hook taking his place.
Although the Lions were forced to make four changes to their initial selection before they left England, through injuries to Tom?s O’Leary, Tom Shanklin and Jerry Flannery, and the suspension of Alan Quinlan, this is the first change they have had to make since arriving in South Africa.
Ian McGeechan, the head coach, was delighted at the weekend to have come through the first three games unbeaten and with only Martyn Williams on the casualty list.
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How swiftly fortunes change, although Ferris’s bad luck will add a grim resolve to the team who run out against the Sharks.
Tonight’s opponents may offer the best pack of forwards the Lions meet outside the internationals. They have surrendered nine players to the national squad, including an entire front row and a No 8, but local opinion suggests serious intent from a pack including three Springboks and three more on their way up.
Behind them is Stefan Terblanche, now a full back but formerly a South Africa wing, who played four seasons for the Ospreys alongside five of tonight’s Lions. Given that the Sharks are also coached by John Plumtree, the New Zealander who played lock for them before coaching Swansea, they will have a valuable insight into the Lions after a mixed year in which they finished sixth in the Super 14.
Plumtree links up with the South Africa squad tomorrow to advise them on work at the breakdown, the area in which the Lions have found some local difficulty.
“They’ve got strong loosies [loose forwards], defensively they get in your face and they have serious line speed,” Plumtree said of the Lions. But the touring side must recover the momentum they lost in the stop-start affair against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein at the weekend and, now, cope with Ferris’s departure.
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Haydn Tanner, who toured South Africa with the Lions in 1938 and won 25 caps for Wales between 1935-49, has died. He was 92. Tanner, who made his international debut at the age of 18, was one of the greatest half backs to have played for Wales, standing comparison to Gareth Edwards.
Sharks: S Terblanche; C Jordaan, A Strauss, R Swanepoel, L Vulindlu; M Dumond, R Kockcott; D Carstens, S Badenhorst, J du Plessis, S Sykes, J Muller (captain), J Botes, J Deysel, K Daniel. Replacements: C Burden, P Cilliers, A van den Berg, M Rhodes, C McLeod, G Cronje, L Mvovo.
Lions XV: L Byrne (Ospreys); S Williams (Ospreys), B O’Driscoll (Leinster), J Roberts (Cardiff Blues), L Fitzgerald (Leinster); R O’Gara (Munster), M Phillips (Ospreys); G Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), L Mears (Bath), A Jones (Ospreys), A W Jones (Ospreys), P O’Connell (Munster, captain), T Croft (Leicester), D Wallace (Munster), J Heaslip (Leinster). Replacements: M Rees (Scarlets), P Vickery (London Wasps), S Shaw (London Wasps), J Worsley (London Wasps), M Blair (Edinburgh), R Flutey (London Wasps), J Hook (Ospreys).
Referee: J Kaplan.
Television: Live on Sky Sports 2 from 5.30pm (kick-off 6.10).