Lions in SA
Williams out of Lions team
2009-06-05 17:21
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Bloemfontein - Welsh flanker Martyn Williams was a late withdrawal from the British and Irish Lions team to take on the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday.
A shoulder injury put paid to Williams' chances of making his second start on tour, following his appearance in the opening game against the Royal Highveld XV in Rustenburg last weekend.
"Martyn Williams injured his shoulder in training and it's just taking longer to settle than hoped for," Lions head coach Ian McGeechan told a news conference on Friday.
"He has now started a different rehab programme which will take him past this weekend's game."
McGeechan has kept his promise to give everyone a game inside the first three matches on tour, with Irish lock Donncha O'Callaghan, Welsh wing Leigh Halfpenny and Ireland back Luke Fitzgerald making their first starts.
Halfpenny only joined the squad this week, having initially been left in Cardiff to recover from a thigh injury,
"I said to the players from the first day that I wanted them all to come to South Africa and push for a test place. The only way to do that is by giving them all a start in their positions," McGeechan said.
England's Riki Flutey was the only other player ruled out by injury, but the New Zealand-born centre was able to run at training on Friday and McGeechan said he was pleased with the progress of his knee injury.
McGeechan was hoping for a similar performance to the one that gave the tourists a 74-10 victory over the Gauteng Lions in midweek.
"It helps that we are now settled in the country. Obviously the guys who are starting for the first time are keen to put the jersey on, but the more we have practised, the more everyone understands what we are trying to do and the more settled they become mentally," McGeechan said.
"There's been a collective development around what we are doing and I expect the players to be excited, but I expect no over-excitement," he added.
Lions:
15-Lee Byrne, 14-Leigh Halfpenny, 13-Keith Earls, 12-Luke Fitzgerald, 11-Shane Williams, 10-James Hook, 9-Harry Ellis; 8-Andy Powell, 7-Joe Worsley, 6-Stephen Ferris, 5-Paul O'Connell (captain), 4-Donncha O'Callaghan, 3-Euan Murray, 2-Ross Ford, 1-Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements:
16-Matthew Rees, 17-Adam Jones, 18-Simon Shaw, 19-Nathan Hines, 20-Mike Blair, 21-Ronan O'Gara, 22-Gordon D'Arcy.
Free State Cheetahs:
15-Hennie Daniller, 14-Danwel Demas, 13-Corne Uys, 12-Meyer Bosman, 11-JW Jonker, 10-Jacques-Louis Potgieter, 9-Tewis de Bruyn, 8-Hendro Scholtz, 7-Francois Uys, 6-Heinrich Brussow, 5-David de Villiers, 4-Nico Breedt, 3-Kobus Calldo, 2-Adriaan Strauss, 1-Wian du Preez.
Replacements:
16-Richardt Strauss, 17-WP Nel, 18-Frans Viljoen, 19-Kabamba Floors, 20-Gerrie Odendaal, 21-Louis Strydom, 22-Fabian Juries.