Rory Sutherland during 2021 British & Irish Lions tour. Image: © Craig Watson –
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SCOTTISH trio Rory Sutherland, Ewan Ashman and Darcy Graham will join the British & Irish Lions squad to provide cover for the First Nations & Pasifika XV fixture which will be played next Tuesday, 22nd July. All three travelled to New Zealand yesterday to begin preparations for Scotland’s final summer tour match against Samoa next Friday, having played for the national team in Saturday’s defeat to Fiji in Suva.
Graham – who was sent off for two yellow-cards against Fiji at the weekend but not suspended as the offences were technical rather than acts of foul play – will now join the Lions squad today.
Meanwhile, Sutherland – who was a Lion in 2021 – and Ashman will join the squad in Melbourne next Sunday (presumably after they have played in the Samoa game).
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Scotland head coach Gregor Townsend will be more relaxed about releasing Graham straight away as he has back-three depth at his disposal for the Samoa match in the shape of Harry Paterson, Arron Reed, Kyle Rowe, Ollie Smith and Kyle Steyn.
However, he has only two other loose-head props (Alec Hepburn and Nathan McBeth) and two other hookers (George Turner and Paddy Harrison) on tour, and he needs two players who can cover each of those positions in his match-day squad next Friday, so there is not as much wriggle room there.
The First Nations & Pasifika XV side was conceived following the demise of the Melbourne Rebels, which were due to play the Lions in Melbourne as part of the tour contract with Rugby Australia and the Victorian government. made up of players with Indigenous Australian and Pacific Island heritage, the side will be coached by Toutai Kefu and captained by Wallabies veteran Kurtley Beale.
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