Jack Van Poortvliet joins Lions squad as cover

Leicester Tigers scrum-half Jack van Poortvliet has been called up to the British & Irish Lions squad as injury cover ahead of their warm-up match against Argentina in Dublin this Friday.

The 24-year-old England international replaces Jamison Gibson-Park, who is currently managing a minor glute strain.

The Lions confirmed that Gibson-Park will temporarily step back from training to recover, with Van Poortvliet now joining Tomos Williams and Alex Mitchell in the scrum-half lineup.

Although the injury to Gibson-Park is not deemed serious, the Lions’ coaching staff have acted swiftly to ensure full cover ahead of a demanding schedule.

“I’m honoured to be included,” said Van Poortvliet.

“It’s a massive privilege to represent the Lions and I’m looking forward to getting stuck in with the boys this week.”

Van Poortvliet has earned 15 caps for England and was recently named in Steve Borthwick’s training squad for the national team’s fixture against a France XV.

His consistent performance for Leicester, including starting in the Premiership final, has kept him firmly on the radar of selectors across both national and composite sides.

The Lions will face Argentina at Dublin’s Aviva Stadium on Friday in what will be the final warm-up before departing for their tour of Australia.

The tour begins with a match against the Western Force on June 28, followed by a full schedule culminating in three test matches against the Wallabies.