Lions tour: Lions lose Jamie Roberts for First Test and hope George North doesn’t go too

Jamie Roberts is out of the Lions' First Test with Australia but powerhouse wing George North could still recover in time to claim the left wing place for Saturday’s match in Brisbane.

The Lions camp is beset by injury worries with the hamstring strain suffered by Roberts in the 47-17 win over the New South Wales Waratahs triggering a remarkable call up for three players; Shane Williams, Christian Wade and Brad Barritt, who all arrived in Sydney today and will play against the Brumbies tomorrow.

Losing Roberts is a massive blow and that setback will be even harder to take if North’s improving hamstring does not allow him to be declared fit to play by Wednesday. The final decision on North will fall to the expertise of James Robson, who has been the Lions doctor since 1993.

Robson said: “As of today, Jamie Roberts is unlikely to be available while Tommy Bowe is highly unlikely. Everyone else is in line to play but the medical bulletin will be delivered on Wednesday.

“Jamie’s scan would indicate one thing but his demeanour another and he is a grave doubt for the weekend but we will look at him later in the week. He has a hamstring strain because his leg got extended and it was unfortunate.

“George North is an exceptional character who has worked really hard and is back to running today and an accurate assessment of his availability for selection will take place on Wednesday but, at the moment, he has a great chance of being fit for the First Test. We wouldn’t allow him to play if there is significant risk.”

Of the other injured players, wing Bowe is recovering from a bone he broke in his hand during the win over Queensland Reds while centre Manu Tuilagi has a nerve injury in his shoulder.

Robson said: “Tommy will be assessed by the surgeon again this week and is making remarkable progress after his hand operation.

“Tommy is running with a hand split on the injury and he will not play unless he is medically ready.

“Tommy is confounding us because he has good grip already. Manu nipped a nerve in his neck and one of my colleagues, who was a boxer in the past, has been sparring with Manu and can testify to his power. He was on the verge of needing treatment which is a good idea of how Manu is coming on.”

While Williams played for his club side in Japan at the weekend and Wade has been with England in Argentina, Barritt was drafted in from Los Angeles, where he was on holiday.

The plan is that all three will play tomorrow but Roberts said: “The international travel has a number of facets; crossing time zones and being in a crouched position. They have a couple of days before the game and if we discover any issues then selection may have to be changed. It’s not an ideal situation and we will make a decision later. We need to hear from Brad what kind of training he has been doing because he has been on the stand‑by list doing whatever was necessary to stay fit.”