Exclusive: Caelan Doris’ injury throws Willis into British and Irish Lions selection frame
Leinster captain Caelan Doris and an inset of England back rower Tom Willis.
Caelan Doris is in serious doubt of making the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia after suffering a shoulder injury in the Investec Champions Cup semi-final defeat to Northampton Saints.
Doris was not only the frontrunner to captain the side but also pack down at number eight for the three Test matches against the Wallabies, with his injury forcing a late rethink ahead of Andy Farrell naming his touring party on Thursday.
Doris to miss the British and Irish Lions series
While Leinster remain hopeful that the injury is not as bad as they originally thought, the consensus so far is not positive.
Senior coach Jacques Nienaber fears the worst after seeing Doris leave the pitch with an injury for the first time since he joined Leinster.
His gut feeling is that the Ireland captain will be sidelined for a lengthy period, as he thinks it is a serious injury.
Sources close to Leinster have confirmed to Planet Rugby that the current prognosis is that Doris will be sidelined for four to six months, which would rule him out of the Lions tour and possibly even Ireland’s end-of-year internationals.
Meanwhile, Lions boss Farrell is planning for the worst, and while the calls for Jack Willis’ inclusion in the squad have been deafening, Planet Rugby sources have confirmed that Doris’ injury has opened the selection door for his brother Tom Willis instead.
Tom Willis has been in sterling form for Saracens and England since returning from a stint with Bordeaux following the insolvency of Wasps, which has earned him a place on the plane to Australia.
The 26-year-old featured throughout the Six Nations with England and has impressed the Lions boss enough to be seen as Doris’ replacement. He started at the back of the scrum on three occasions for Steve Borthwick’s side during the tournament and came off the bench in the first and last matches against Ireland and Wales, respectively.
Jacques Nienaber hopes his ‘gut feeling’ about Caelan Doris’ injury is wrong
Further number eight options
England teammate Ben Earl is also set to be included in the squad, but it is unclear whether Farrell sees him as an option at number eight or at flanker or both, particularly after Doris’ injury.
Willis would offer a similar ball-carrying threat for the Lions compared to that of the Ireland skipper, as he leads the Premiership for gain-line carries (93) and defenders beaten (78). He also offers a similar impact at the breakdown.
Other specialist number eights that will be in the running are Wales’ Taulupe Faletau and Aaron Wainwright, as well as Ireland’s Jack Conan.
Scotland’s Matt Fagerson and Jack Dempsey have been sidelined for Glasgow Warriors for some time now and are in doubt for the tour, with their absence also aiding Willis’ chances.
While the Saracens star is more than capable of playing flank, his selection would be as an out-and-out specialist number eight.
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