All Blacks: Lions don't take bait from Steve Hansen's needle

The British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

If Steve Hansen's barbed comment about the British and Irish Lions calling in reinforcements in order to separate their test squad from their mid-weekers struck home, the tourists weren't showing it today, although, significantly, they haven't ruled it out.

All Blacks coach Hansen believes Warren Gatland will call in up to five new players to the tour party, which will boost the squad to 45 after fullback Stuart Hogg's departure with a facial injury.

There is no doubt that such an influx of players after Gatland denied the need to replace Hogg could de-stabilise the already very large squad ahead of the first test at Eden Park a week tomorrow.

It is thought that some of the new players could come from the Wales squad currently based in Auckland and preparing to play Tonga at Eden Park tonight, a curtain-raiser to the All Blacks v Manu Samoa test.

Today the media were given their first chance to question the Lions' management about Hansen's comments, which were clearly designed to needle. "I think he is about to bring a few extra players out to give himself the ability to play two squads," Hansen said after naming his squad for the Manu Samoa test. "He's at the stage where he wants to do that."

A Lions spokesman yesterday said Gatland wouldn't want to comment and assistant coach Steve Borthwick gave little away on Hansen's assertion that there was a clear gulf between the Lions' test team and the mid-weekers.

"If there's a situation where call-ups are going to happen for any player, that will be dealt with at the appropriate time when the announcement is going to be made," Borthwick said. "Right now there is no announcement; I'm concentrating on the game tomorrow."

Asked about his opinion of Hansen's comments, Borthwick replied: "I'm not giving what anyone is telling the media a second thought. I'm concentrating on the game tomorrow."

The Lions tomorrow face the New Zealand Maori in Rotorua, a match which is likely to feature a near test-match intensity. For that reason, and to bed-in test combinations, Gatland has named a near test-strength side, minus the injured inside back Owen Farrell, as he attempts to engineer a victory after the defeat to the Highlanders in Dunedin.

"What we need is another step forward in our performance level," Borthwick said.

"We know tomorrow is going to be a fiercely competitive game and it's one we're looking forward to immensely."