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O'Driscoll, Robinson endorse Hartley amid Owens injury doubts
By Iain Strachan
Former British and Irish Lions stars Brian O'Driscoll and Jason Robinson expect Warren Gatland to select Dylan Hartley should Wales hooker Ken Owens fail to prove his fitness for the tour of New Zealand.
Owens suffered an ankle injury in training and missed Scarlets' Pro12 semi-final win over Leinster, with Lions staff monitoring the recovery timescale of the 30-year-old.
Scarlets coach Wayne Pivac is confident his player will make the trip to tackle the All Blacks.
But should the Wales international find himself sidelined, the candidacy of England captain Hartley, overlooked for the initial 41-man group, has at least two high-profile backers.
"You have to imagine he's in the mix," O'Driscoll, speaking on behalf of the HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series, told Omnisport.
"No-one else jumps out. I thought a potential Lions bolter was [Ireland hooker] Sean Cronin, because he offered something different to everyone else.
"But it's going to be so attritional that Dylan you would think would be the obvious choice. We'll have to wait and see if [Lions coach] Warren Gatland thinks similarly."
We've had a great week together in camp! Roll on next week... https://t.co/ecwRLxFVfu #AllForOne pic.twitter.com/posFxjW9ED
— British&Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) May 18, 2017
Robinson added: "You don't want anybody to be missing out through injury. But injuries are inevitable. It's what happens. It often does give other guys a chance.
"It'll be disappointing if Ken Owens doesn't make it because he's had a fantastic season. That being said, I'm sure Dylan Hartley would come in and do a good job."
The Lions open the tour with a match against New Zealand Barbarians in Whangarei on June 3. The first Test against the All Blacks is in Auckland on June 24.
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Latest Comments
While the All Blacks look a much better side than the one that went down at home to Argentina, the success of the tour cannot be judged on two games. England ara mediocre side which lost to a side which got thumped by more than 30 points four times in the rugby championship. The value of the Irish win is much bigger but it will be put in perspective by the Ireland Argentine game this weekend. Ireland are nowhere near the team that won 17 tests in a row having only scraped a five out of nine wins in including wins over Italy and Wales starting with the WC QF. Scotland are a way better team than England as their comprehensive win last time out showed. The game against France is vital for the AB's to judge their progression.
Go to commentsAustralia improved from the R.C and are spreading that ball around like Rama on toast. How's the weather loooking for Saturday? If its Kak and it likely will be how do you not see a close game knowing Englands style.
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