Tim Payne called up

[sarah_lennon]

Interesting

Sheridan is injured

[Xanthippe]

Payne called up as cover
21 June 2009, 12:46 pm
by Westgate, Marc Heywood
The Lions
Tim Payne will join the 2009 Lions

British & Irish Lions tour manager Gerald Davies and head coach Ian McGeechan have today announced that London Wasps and England loose-head prop Tim Payne has been called into the Lions squad for the remainder of the tour.
Payne joins up with the 2009 Lions to provide front row cover ahead of Tuesday's clash with the Emerging Springboks and the second and third internationals against South Africa.

Commenting on the call up,McGeechan said, "Tim Payne has been called up to provide essential cover for the front row as Andrew Sheridan is responding slowly to treatment for a sore back following the Southern Kings match.

"We simply can't go into this week without sufficient cover at loose-head prop as we play the Emerging Springboks and the Springboks in the space of five days.

"Tim Payne will arrive match fit having played in all three of England's recent international matches against the Barbarians and Argentina. We are still hopeful that Andrew Sheridan will respond to the medical regime he is currently undergoing."

Hope this doesn't mean he will be ahead of 'The Bull' in the pecking order

[Danthefan]

He's not a tighthead.

[Xanthippe]

Just read the article and panicked - all I saw was the bit about arriving 'match fit'

[LeRouxIsPHat]

I know Payne is match fit but its another kick in the teeth for Horan! I'm a bit disappointed it wasn't Healy. I realise that whoever it was isn't going to be involved in the tests but I still think he deserves it. Wonder would he have been called up if Ireland weren't in the Churchill cup final?

[tackle-bag]

I know Payne is match fit but its another kick in the teeth for Horan! I'm a bit disappointed it wasn't Healy. I realise that whoever it was isn't going to be involved in the tests but I still think he deserves it. Wonder would he have been called up if Ireland weren't in the Churchill cup final?

Interesting question, he's a much better player than Payne who is one of the worst players to feature on a Lions tour in the professional era. It's now absolutely essential that Jenkins stays fit.

[claire_m]

Well, the new prop was always going to be welsh or a waspy.

Remind me how well Wasps did last season and why they deserve such a high representation in the Lions?

[Donny B.]

Farsical stuff. Nothing more than a journeyman

[hugonaut]

... Payne ... is one of the worst players to feature on a Lions tour in the professional era. It's now absolutely essential that Jenkins stays fit.

Couldn't agree more. Totally and utterly undeserving of a Lions spot. Just an absolute plodder who's lucky that he plays for Wasps.

If the Lions can call out players as cover, without sending anybody home, why haven't they called up Rory Best? Obviously it'd be a slap in the mouth for the hookers who are out there, but Ross Ford arguably deserves a slap in the mouth for his p¡ss-poor displays to date.

[tackle-bag]

... Payne ... is one of the worst players to feature on a Lions tour in the professional era. It's now absolutely essential that Jenkins stays fit.

Couldn't agree more. Totally and utterly undeserving of a Lions spot. Just an absolute plodder who's lucky that he plays for Wasps.

If the Lions can call out players as cover, without sending anybody home, why haven't they called up Rory Best? Obviously it'd be a slap in the mouth for the hookers who are out there, but Ross Ford arguably deserves a slap in the mouth for his p¡ss-poor displays to date.

Best should have been in the original squad ahead of Rees anyway and should have been called up ahead of Ford when Fla got injured. The Lions are now in the position where they are facing up to the best line-out pair in the world without a hooker in their squad who can throw. It killed them on Saturday and may yet prove a decisive factor in the outcome of the tour.

[LeRouxIsPHat]

... Payne ... is one of the worst players to feature on a Lions tour in the professional era. It's now absolutely essential that Jenkins stays fit.

Couldn't agree more. Totally and utterly undeserving of a Lions spot. Just an absolute plodder who's lucky that he plays for Wasps.

If the Lions can call out players as cover, without sending anybody home, why haven't they called up Rory Best? Obviously it'd be a slap in the mouth for the hookers who are out there, but Ross Ford arguably deserves a slap in the mouth for his p¡ss-poor displays to date.

Yeah i agree about Best because the hookers have been so far below par that I don't think it'd undermine the players who are there because unless they're idiots they must know that they're way off the pace.

[true blue 06]

i thought it was said on here that cian healy was on the reserve list

[thecoolfreak]

He's only called out as emergency cover for Tuesday. As long as Sheridan is fit Payne won't have any involvement. The reason he was called up before Healy, in my opinion, is because Healy is over in Denver and it would be difficult to get him over to South Africa and be ready to start a match on Tuesday

[dipper]

Slap in the face for Horan. Payne is an average club player. They used the excuse that Payne has been playing and is match fit but i'm not sure that washes with too many people.