Taylor out of Lions tour
June 9, 2001
Simon Taylor's Lions tour is over, after a scan revealed serious knee ligament damage
He suffered the injury after going on as a half-time substitute during yesterday's record 116-10 victory over Western Australia in Perth. The 21-year-old underwent further tests today, and Lions coach Graham Henry Taylor, a try-scorer as WA were routed and among only three Scots selected in Henry's original squad, made an impression through his handling and running skills, but fate has now dealt him a savage blow. He was a surprise choice for the 37-man squad, yet both Henry and assistant coach Andy Robinson felt him good enough to shine alongside such illustrious company.
But the Edinburgh Reivers back-row man, who has four caps, can now only reflect on what might have been. Even if he recovers though, his chance of featuring in any game before the June 30 first Test, when he was expected to be substitute cover for Keith Wood, seem remote. The Lions management have already summoned Leicester forward Martin Corry as Taylor's replacement, while Scottish hooker Gordon Bulloch will shadow Greening.
Both Corry, who had been preparing for England's second Test against Canada in Vancouver today, and Bulloch are expected to arrive in Australia this weekend. The team to tackle a Queensland President's XV next Tuesday will be announced on Sunday, and it is conceivable that they could feature, possibly as Taylor's problems began a miserable day for the tourists, whose charter flight from Perth to Townsville was heavily delayed, initially due to bad weather. They were at least five hours late leaving, and were not expected to arrive until the early hours of Sunday morning. |
Communication error please reload the page.