On Saturday night, the news emerged that Ben Youngs would not be travelling on the Lions’ tour to New Zealand. The management wasted little time in announcing that Greig Laidlaw would be the replacement on the tour, before speculation about a potential battle between the Scottish captain and Danny Care.
In the original 41-man squad selected last month, Gatland opted for Youngs, Conor Murray and Rhys Webb as his three scrum-halves.
At a press conference today, the Kiwi head coach explained why Laidlaw was omitted.
“I rang Gregor Townsend and David Humphreys as well. Greig Laidlaw was someone we’d discussed initially, but the fact he’d been injured in the Six Nations was one of the reasons he probably wasn’t in the original squad.
“It was obviously not ideal for him, but he’s here from day one which is a bit easier than a later introduction to the squad.”
The 31-year-old was injured against France in Scotland’s second game of their Six Nations campaign, and this sent him down the pecking order from a Lions perspective.
Laidlaw’s immediate focus turns to Friday night as Gloucester take on Stade Francais in the European Challenge Cup final in Edinburgh.
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Make sure to check out the latest episode of the Oval Office, where we talk to Gordon D’Arcy and discuss the Lions midfield.
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