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Marcus Smith one of seven changes for England with new captain named
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Andy Farrell's initial update on Blair Kinghorn offers hope
By Josh Raisey
British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has said that full-back Blair Kinghorn “felt a little bit of something” in his knee before having to leave the field against the Brumbies on Wednesday in Canberra, but said that he is “walking around”.
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The recently-crowned Top 14 champion Kinghorn only lasted 25 minutes of the Lions victory over the Brumbies, having received treatment earlier in the match.
The 28-year-old cut a forlorn figure as he trudged off the GIO Stadium pitch, and fears immediately mounted online that the Scot’s tour was over.
With Elliot Daly already out of the tour, this would be problematic for Farrell, but his initial assessment of the injury looked positive.
“I was just speaking to him then,” Farrell said when speaking to Sky Sports after the match. “I think somebody landed on his knee and he felt a little bit of something. He’s walking around, so hopefully it’s not too serious.”
This can be read in two ways, as “felt a little bit of something” is not exactly encouraging for all those involved with the Lions, but the fact that he was walking around after the match is far more positive.
Kinghorn will of course have a scan over the coming days, which will determine his participation in the rest of the tour.
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Farrell was not particularly negative in his update on Daly’s injury following the Reds match last week, before it was later revealed that the Englishman had broken his arm.
There are five matches remaining this tour, three of which are Tests against Australia, so any call-up would still play a pivotal role, if only to feature in the midweek against the First Nations & Pasifika XV to help with rotation.
Farrell provided yet more positivity on the injury when speaking to the press, saying Kinghorn was “singing in his bed”.
“He is in good spirits, so you wouldn’t know with Blair,” he continued. “He is always in good spirits anyway. He got a bang on the knee, so carried on for quite a bit, but there was no need to keep him going.
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“He was signing away on the bed as he was being assessed. So we will see how he comes through that. He has played, and we have got an early flight in the morning. I don’t know what the medical plan is, but we will get on top of that.”
