Lions chief Warren Gatland will be seeking assurances from his medical staff that Brian O’Driscoll’s back injury will not hinder him in Australia after the centre was ruled of Leinster’s Amlin Challenge Cup Final against Stade Francais in Dublin tomorrow night.
O’Driscoll, who signed a new one-year contract extension with Ireland and Leinster today, went off after just 13 minutes of last weekend’s Pro12 semi-final victory over Glasgow Warriors and missed the subsequent Lions get together in London.
Gatland will want to see O’Driscoll appear in Leinster’s Pro12 Final against Ulster on May 25 to prove the recurring spasms in his back will not restrict him on tour this summer.
Fergus McFadden moves in from the right wing to replace O’Driscoll in tomorrow’s showpiece final. He will form a new mid-field alongside Ian Madigan, who takes over from Gordon D’Arcy after his season was ended against Glasgow by a torn calf muscle.
Andrew Conway, who scored a hat-trick in his last start, comes in on the right-wing, with the rest of the backline unchanged from the tight, 17-15 win over the Warriors.
There are five changes in the pack, with Cian Healy, Richardt Strauss and Leo Cullen on the bench which suggests the Ulster game is more important to the Province.
Jack McGrath takes over from Healy at loose-head, Sean Cronin replaces Strauss, while Quinn Roux comes in for Cullen.
