Ryan Grant called up to the Lions as cover for Melon

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/rugby-union/22810884

Well done Ryan Grant!

Big loss for us this weekend, now Ali Dickinson has to go up against Cencus Johnson and James Johnson, he is going to get eaten

Big loss losing Jenkins though.

Well about bloody time!

Great news. Good to have our Scottish friends feel more involved now too. Now we are in it together.

Sure Grant will have a bee in his bonnet to prove a point. Great for the Lions that he'll be keen to prove Cement Head wrong.

Deservedly called up, better late than never...

Brilliant, I take back all my earlier complaints! Nobody deserves it more!

He's on the plane

I actually think corbs and grant will serve this tour better than jenkins at this stage of his career!

Excellent news for both parties! Now he's got a REAL marker to lay down. I hope he jumps at the chance and puts in some beastly performances.

Cannot believe the Scottish bias.....surely it had to be Sheridan!

hugehandoff wrote:Cannot believe the Scottish bias.....surely it had to be Sheridan!

James for FS - all this pandering to even up the numbers is just so politically correct - We're doomed I tell yer, Doomed

Where's that bottle of Grants

Guess Corbs or Grant will also become the 800th Lion too. I bet Sam is gutted in a sense, but obviously delighted just to get the shirt on.

At...ruddy...last!

Absolutely ecstatic for the guy - fantastic news!

Worringly inexperienced in the loosehead department just now, and I really can't see Jenkins being fit enough to take an active part in the tour.

Tell you what - Vunipola will be knackered after tomorrow!

Grant is flying out today so should arrive tomorrow - plenty time to get over jetlag to play on Tuesday....

He'll be absolute fighting fit though having played all season with Glasgow and spent the last 2 weeks preparing to play Samoa tomorrow.

Agreed, Grant has shown amazing fitness all year and the hard grounds will suit him well. Corbs should be fresh as a very large daisy having been in rehab for the majority of the season.

Tough on Jenkins, has is a great player but really shouldnt have been picked as he wasnt first choice at Toulon and has been struggling with this recurring calf problem for the last 4 or 5 seasons. It always had the potenetial to go wrong. Would have been better to have picked Grant and have Jenkins on injury standby as he could have slotted in seamlessly if required.

it will be harder for Grant and Corbs to make a good impact coming in at this stage.

You can't say Jenkins has had injury problems then have him as cover. Say he'd replaced Healy and then broke down? Jenkins deserved his initial call up in my opinion anyway. I'd have taken Healy, Jenkins and Grant.

I guess this is moot now, but I don't buy into this Sheridan starts for Toulon nonsense either. Most supporters want us to have a crack at the Aussies, so a prop who is good in the loose and a competent scrummager should deserve an initial squad place. I believe you get that with Jenkins (and of course Healy and Grant).

Very side sad news that Healy is out of the tour, a definite favourite with many fans and players.

But grea news to hear Grant called up. I guess it is a surprise to many fans that Corbs, Mako, Grant where ahead of James in the coaches thoughts, considering how highly James is rated by so many.

But well done grant, has had a great season and deserves to be there...

Risca Rev wrote:You can't say Jenkins has had injury problems then have him as cover. Say he'd replaced Healy and then broke down? Jenkins deserved his initial call up in my opinion anyway. I'd have taken Healy, Jenkins and Grant.

I guess this is moot now, but I don't buy into this Sheridan starts for Toulon nonsense either. Most supporters want us to have a crack at the Aussies, so a prop who is good in the loose and a competent scrummager should deserve an initial squad place. I believe you get that with Jenkins (and of course Healy and Grant).

Yeah it's a bit tiresome now, all this Sheridan's Toulon rubbish. Jenkins was the best LH in the Six Nations seeing as Healy missed most of the games. And Jenkins' opponents were no mugs either.

Very good news for Grant - felt he deserved to be able to show what he can do on one of the biggest stages

Sorry for Jenkins

Ryan Grant is one of the most bloody minded, stubborn and focused players out there.

I'm sure you will see him go out there with a point to prove! I would honestly not be surprised to see him play his way into the test side by the end of the tour!

Well done Ryan!

Now, if we can only get Kelly out there, all will be right with the world

It is common for at least one late arrival to force their way into the test team. Grant and Corbs will be buzzing.

I can see one of Corbs or Grant starting the test and Vino being the big impact sup

That sounds delicious

An interesting comment from Scott Johnson about Ryan Grant, especially considering he's coached Wales and Scotland and knows all the players far better than Rowntree.

"People out there may be in for a pleasant surprise as to what a player he is."

A thoroughly merited call-up for Ryan Grant. He'll know that he's last in the loosehead pecking order, so much to prove.

Didn't know he was ex forces too. Double respect for him.

I'd love to see him get his first Lions start on Tuesday at Hunter Stadium where he got his first cap twelve months ago and where he played a big part in destroying the Aus scrum.

It's written in the stars, I tells ye.

Thank god for that at least we won't gave to put up with all the winging Scots or will they start on another second rate player. P James and R Gill must consider themselves unlucky as there are so many Welsh players in the squad.

The part people are missing here is that he is COVER for Melon

If Jenkins cannot start the next game he has to go home IMO. The guys who still have a chance of test match rugby need game time.

its a shame but there can be no room for passengers on lions tours

Youre entitled to your opinion Radge

I think Jenkins is a great player, not only that a great leader, most memorably captaining Wales to that thumping win over England.

Don't let me wind you up Radge, you almost had a cornonary yesterday

I don't think he has to go home or have a deadline put on him, whilst there's still a chance he could be fit. But Grant should be given a fair crack of the whip at a test shirt now. Of course, the longer it goes on the unlikely he is to feature in a test, but if he can train he is adding to the squad in some way plus if he was to get fit and we suffered another front row injury at least he is in situ.

Same thing with Halfpenny last year. He was almost rushed back and got injured again. One of the best Scottish guys on the tour is Doc Robinson, for Jenkins career and health Robinson will always do the right thing. Jenkins is a class act so here's hoping he can recover, the Lions do need him.

Congrats to Grant, well deserved IMO

Although I worry for the test LH shirt now!

Well done Grant, and obviously well done to Gatland for making the call (even if it should have been before the Corbisiero call).

"What a difference a day makes
Twenty-four little hours
Brought the sun and the flowers
Where there used to be rain"

Phew!! what the hell has been happening in the world while I have been slaving behind a simulation model all day.

After the last few days of emotional ping-pong with our Celtic cousins over Ryans omission, I had reconciled myself to watching Glasgows' "Holy Trinity" of Grant, MacArthur and Murray (ok The Rev is an old boy) front up against Samoa tomorrow. Now I find "The One Who Originally Should Have Gone" now, has upped and actually gone and become a Lion, and our new boy Alasdair Dickinson is now starting in the front row.

Perhaps just perhaps there is a God after all.

Well done Ryan and also well done Alasdair........... and best of luck to all our teams that are playing tomorrow

Fly half, I've heard that gatland is fuming after his telephone SOS to send for Ryan was misunderstood by his minnions. I guess that's the way it goes. Shame for jones all the same

Bravo, Ruby.

I wouldn't have taken Jenkins anyway James or Grant would have got my vote first but the reason I wouldn't have taken him is NOT because he wasn't first choice at Toulon.

Toulon have gone for the pure power and destructive side of the game which is what Sheridan is renowned for, pure brute scrimmaging has never been Jenkins' strong point it was his all round game.

I hope he shakes off the injury and stays in Oz if not then unlucky way for him to bow out.

RubyGuby wrote:Fly half, I've heard that gatland is fuming after his telephone SOS to send for Ryan was misunderstood by his minnions. I guess that's the way it goes. Shame for jones all the same

Aaaah do you know I had to read that three times before it must have sunk in.......... (tired I am)

Actually there is so much strength in the back row its just had to believe....... who would have thought Ryan Jones, Chris Robshaw and Kelly Brown not been first choice in any other universe, its amazing but I still cant decide (however good those three are) who they would have replaced as the current Lions backrow players are that good.

Its always been my (for the last 12 months) choice of Lions test back-row if fit of

8 Ryan Jones
7 Sam Warburton
6 Dan Lydiate

Unbelievable that you can replace those with Heaslip, Faletau, Tuperic, SOB, Jones, Brown, and Robshaw

..... in dozens of combinations

and you would still have the same effectiveness and explosion

The mind boggles

Back row was always going to be hugely competitive and as these boards have proved devisive.

Leaving National bias aside I would have been happy with any of the players fly has named plus add Ben Morgan to the list.

Just for you scots lads I'm sipping on a bottle of 10 year old aberlour as we speak. If grant is as good as this stuff then we'll all be fine

I'm a little worried about the back row personally, there are just so many specialists I think we are missing a trick by not selecting Jones, Brown and Robshaw who all contribute to many other areas as well as their designated number.

Look at our 6 options, Croft plays too wide mostly, doesn't offer enough grunt, Lydiate doesn't carry enough, and when he does is ineffective, and SOB does nothing but carry, he literally offers no breakdown nous and defencively is a hot head and over thinks.

Robshaw wouldve been my test 6, follwed by Brown / Wood, but then I prefer not to have 3 specialists in my unit, if the 7 is a specialist I prefer my 6 and 8 to be more rounded to make up for it.

bedfordwelsh wrote:Back row was always going to be hugely competitive and as these boards have proved devisive.

Leaving National bias aside I would have been happy with any of the players fly has named plus add Ben Morgan to the list.

ARGHHHHHH Bedford what are you doing to me you bugger!!!............ Ben Morgan has been awesome and if not injured could well have sneaked in on the plane

Permutations have now gone off the wall

Fly,

If he had been fit then I think he would have been on the plane not just sneaked on, theres no other 8 selected who is as destructive off the base as him.

He may not have the fitness levels or the all round game as that of Heaslip or Faletau but he is an out and out barnstorming old fashion No8

Agree with you mate an awesome player, shame he didn't stay in West Wales, what a potential Scarlets backrow that would have been

8. Morgan
7. Barclay
6. Shingler

WOO HOO juicy

RubyGuby wrote:Just for you scots lads I'm sipping on a bottle of 10 year old aberlour as we speak. If grant is as good as this stuff then we'll all be fine

That's a nice tipple Ruby, very nice

But if you want a prince of Aberlour try

Aberlour A'bunadh 12 Year old Silver Label.......... its about 60 percent proof, and doubt whether you won't get much change from 300 rats though!!