Rugby: Robinson joins growing Lions' injury list

PERTH - Jason Robinson has joined the list of early Lions tour casualties after twisting his ankle in training yesterday. The winger was among a handful of players who sat out the afternoon session as preparations continued for Friday's tour opener against Western Australia.

The Lions coach, Graham Henry, will announce the line-up here tomorrow morning, hoping that as many of his 37-man squad as possible can feature, either this week or during the appointment with a Queensland President's XV in eight days time.

The Welsh pair, prop David Young (calf) and flanker Martyn Williams (ankle) didn't train yesterday, while Mike Catt (back), Jonny Wilkinson (groin) and Neil Jenkins (facial cut) avoided contact work.

But England's Iain Balshaw, who suffered a worrying shoulder injury during the Premiership play-off final between Bath and Leicester last month, has resumed full training. Lawrence Dallaglio, meanwhile, continues to make good progress from a knee problem that at one stage threatened his tour.

The Lions have already held five training sessions, despite arriving in Perth barely two days ago.

Much of the emphasis yesterday was placed on defence, with assistant coach Andy Robinson again underlining that all 37 players were contesting Test spots.

"We are looking at everyone for the Tests, and will try and give everyone a chance to play as soon as possible," he said.

That will be music to the ears of Welsh back-row forward Colin Charvis, who faces daunting competition from players like Dallaglio and Richard Hill.

However, Charvis, a first-time Lion but with 37 Welsh caps under his belt, has pledged to give it everything in pursuit of Test honours. "My main goal is to give 100 per cent, hold nothing back and buy into everything that this squad is about," Charvis claimed.

"If I give my all, then I know as my sternest judge, that there is nothing more I could have done. Everyone talks about whether you get a Test place or not, but ultimately it is a Test series win against Australia that the squad is looking for."

Charvis will complete a hat-trick of career ambitions though, should he feature against the Wallabies in either Brisbane, Melbourne or Sydney. "I probably set my Lions goal as a 22-year-old, just before I joined Swansea," he said.

"It was a three-tier thing ­ to get into the Swansea first team, play for Wales and then become a Lion. I estimated about seven or eight years to try and achieve it."

Now 28, Charvis has carved out a reputation as one of the most destructive tacklers in British rugby, rarely producing a below-par performance during his international career.

But he is brutally honest about the step up in standards he fully expects to encounter on the 10-match trip Down Under. "I believe that the Lions' level of play will be above myself, it's just how quickly I can grow into it, and that is a challenge I am really looking forward to.

"If I am not good enough to make the Test team, then I'll be the first to admit it, but it is a case of seeing how well I can play."

- INDEPENDENT