Courtney Lawes was caught off guard when it was announced he made Warren Gatland’s 37-man British and Irish Lions squad.
“I’m only a couple of weeks away from being fit now, two or three weeks, so I’ll get a bit of game time before the end of the season, which is great,” said Lawes.
“And luckily due to experience I’ve been able to come back and pick up where “I’ve left off from the last couple of injuries, so hopefully I’ll continue that and I feel like I’ll be able to.
“And in terms of the tour, I think it’s going to be great, obviously it’s going to be very, very different, with all of the Covid stuff going on.
“But I think we’ll just climb into it and work hard. Hopefully the best players on the best form will be picked for the Tests. And I’m looking forward to hopefully putting my name forward.”
British and Irish Lions 2021 squad
Captain: Alun Wyn Jones (Wal)
Forwards: Tadhg Beirne (Ire), Jack Conan (Ire), Luke Cowan-Dickie (Eng), Tom Curry (Eng), Zander Fagerson (Sco), Taulupe Faletau (Wal), Tadhg Furlong (Ire), Jamie George (Eng), Iain Henderson (Ire), Jonny Hill (Eng), Maro Itoje (Eng), Wyn Jones (Wal), Courtney Lawes (Eng), Ken Owens (Wal), Andrew Porter (Ire), Sam Simmonds (Eng), Rory Sutherland (Sco), Justin Tipuric (Wal), Mako Vunipola (Eng), Hamish Watson (Sco).
Backs: Josh Adams (Wal), Bundee Aki (Ire), Dan Biggar (Wal), Elliot Daly (Eng), Gareth Davies (Wal), Owen Farrell (Eng), Chris Harris (Sco), Robbie Henshaw (Ire), Stuart Hogg (Sco), Conor Murray (Ire), Ali Price (Sco), Lewis Rees-Zammit (Wal), Finn Russell (Sco), Duhan van der Merwe (Sco), Anthony Watson (Eng), Liam Williams (Wal).
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Alternative Lions squad: The 37 players who missed out
BACK-THREE: (7)
- Jonny May (England)
- Jack Nowell (England)
- Jacob Stockdale (Ireland)
- Hugo Keenan (Ireland)
- Darcy Graham (Scotland)
- Max Malins (England)
- Leigh Halfpenny (Wales)
CENTRES: (4)
- Manu Tuilagi (England)
- Henry Slade (England)
- Cameron Redpath (Scotland)
- Garry Ringrose (Ireland