Injury-hit Balshaw curses his luck

Iain Balshaw

If Iain Balshaw lives to be 100, he will not play injured again.

The Leeds fullback took something of a risk by turning out in last month's Powergen Cup final at Twickenham, having pulled up in training a few days previously.

His dodgy thigh muscles gave out on him less than two minutes into the game, and as a direct consequence, he is out of the Lions tour of New Zealand.

Mark Cueto, who should have been in the party in the first place, has been summoned in his place.

Balshaw was tested and scanned at the Lions' base near Cardiff yesterday, and was found wanting.

"It's pretty clear that he won't be ready for another three weeks, maybe four," coach Sir Clive Woodward said. "We're disappointed for Iain, of course, but Mark was the unluckiest of the players who missed out on the initial selection. Arguably, we should have picked him among the original 44."

The Sale wing has scored 27 tries in 33 outings this season - he could add to that tally, given that he will play for his club in this weekend's European Challenge Cup final against Pau - and ran in eight in as many matches for England.

Cueto, who had not signed his first professional contract when the Lions last toured in 2001, was delighted at his call-up.

Woodward confirmed that one of his two French-based Welshmen, the Clermont Auvergne first five-eighths Stephen Jones, would not fly to Auckland with the rest of the squad because of continuing club commitments.

It is possible that Gareth Thomas, the Toulouse fullback, will be in a similar situation.

Thomas is involved in this Sunday's Heineken Cup final against Stade Francais at Murrayfield, while another four tourists from Sale - Jason Robinson, Charlie Hodgson, Andrew Sheridan and Andy Titterrell - will be on duty against Pau.

Jones, meanwhile, is scheduled to turn out for his club in a French Championship match at Beziers.

None of these players is likely to be involved in the Lions' warm-up game against Argentina at the Millennium Stadium on Tuesday. Neil Back, the Leicester flanker selected for his third Lions tour, is also out of the reckoning for the Pumas fixture, having been cited for punching Joe Worsley, of Wasps, during last weekend's Premiership final.

Back will attend a hearing today.

"Neil thinks he's innocent," said Woodward, almost with a straight face.

There is a strong possibility he will be handed a three-week suspension. That would rule him out of the Lions' opening match against Bay of Plenty in Rotorua on June 4.

"As far as I'm concerned, this game against Argentina is the first match of the tour," Woodward said. "It will be a big opportunity for the players and it's up to them to take it. Every player will start a game on the trip, but it could be just one game."

- INDEPENDENT