Rugby

Bowe to undergo surgery in bid to save his Lions tour

Ireland winger yet to be ruled out despite breaking a bone in his hand

Tommy Bowe leaves the pitch with his right arm in a sling after breaking a bone in his hand during the Lions’ game against the Queensland Reds in Brisbane. Photograph: Dan Sheridan/Inpho

Sun Jun 9 2013 - 00:42

Ireland winger Tommy Bowe will undergo surgery on a broken bone in his hand that he suffered against Queensland Reds and has yet to be ruled out of the Lions tour to Australia.

The Ulster player suffered the injury during the hard-fought during the 22-12 victory in Brisbane and initial reports were that Bowe would join Irish team-mate Cian Healy and Welsh prop Gethin Jenkins in returning home at the end of the first week in Australia.

Head coach Warren Gatland said: “We will just have to wait and see how the surgery goes. The surgeon says if it goes right, it could be just a couple of weeks.”

Irish outhalf Jonathan Sexton has had a scan on his hamstring after he reported tightness in it during the Reds game, but there are not thought to be any issues surrounding him.

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The Lions named their team to play a Combined Country XV in Newcastle on Tuesday, with England loosehead prop Alex Corbisiero set to make his Lions debut after being called in a replacement for Healy.

Corbisiero, who only arrived in Brisbane yesterday from England’s tour of Argentina, will start in a team captained by Ireland centre Brian O’Driscoll.

Corbisiero's fellow tour replacement Ryan Grant has been named on the bench, while Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg will start at outhalf alongside Ireland's Conor Murray at scrumhalf.

New Zealand-born Scottish international Sean Maitland is named at fullback, with O’Dricoll reunited with Jamie Roberts in the centre, while Alex Cuthbert and George North named on the wings.

Seán O'Brien will start at blindside flanker, with his Leinster team-mate Jamie Heaslip at number eight and Justin Tipuric of Wales at openside.

British and Irish Lions (v Combined Country XV, Newcastle, Tuesday): S Maitland (Scotland); A Cuthbert (Wales), B O'Driscoll (Ireland, capt), J Roberts (Wales), G North (Wales); S Hogg (Scotland), C Murray (Ireland); A Corbisiero (England), R Hibbard (Wales), D Cole (England), R Gray (Scotland), I Evans (Wales), S O'Brien (Ireland), J Tipuric (Wales), J Heaslip (Ireland).

Replacements: R Best (Ireland), R Grant (Scotland), M Stevens (England), A-W Jones (Wales), T Faletau (Wales), M Phillips (Wales), J Davies (Wales), L Halfpenny (Wales).

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