ALUN-WYN JONES will not captain the Lions in South Africa this summer after he dislocated his shoulder in the team's farewell match against Japan.
James Ryan is among those who may get the call from Warren Gatland as he looks to replace the injured second-row ahead of tomorrow's departure for the Rainbow Nation.
Jones suffered the injury early in his side's 28-10 win at Murrayfield, while his Wales teammate Justin Tipuric is also a concern after he suffered a stinger injury to his shoulder.
Like Jones, he'll be assessed but Gatland has already decided that the veteran skipper will not tour because he is unlikely to be fit until the first Test at the very least.
So, he must choose a replacement captain quickly as well as a new second-row.
"The shoulder was dislocated, they got it back in pretty easily. We'll get it scanned, but with a dislocated shoulder it's never good news. We'll look at getting someone in pretty quickly and on the plane tomorrow," he said.
"He'll be gutted, it's very disappointing for him. But you've got to put that behind you and move on as quickly as you possibly can.
"We're discussing who to call up at the moment with the coaches, but I got called away for a press conference."
Although the news will come as a blow to the tourists, Gatland said they'll take it in their stride.
"No one's in shock, if you're in shock it reflects back into the squad," he said.
"We've got to be fluid, react and make decisions. If you go into a shock scenario and look like you're panicking it will reflect badly.
"It's disappointing for AW, same if Justin Tipuric is not right.
"We just have to make the right decisions.
"We've got some experience, some good young blood. We've got some experience from the last couple of tours, a nice balance and a fantastic group of men.
"We've a lot of people who can fill in those roles."
Gatland also confirmed that he has received assurances that increased restrictions in South Africa, which is experiencing the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, will not affect the Lions' preparations.
"We’ve had assurances from that. If they go into another lockdown and cancel sport, they've said it won’t affect the Lions in terms of training and the matches," Gatland said.
Gatland also allayed fears over Jack Conan after he left the field with 10 minutes to go. The Ireland No 8, who enjoyed an outstanding performance, tweaked his hamstring in the warm-up but played through the pain barrier and was withdrawn as a precaution.
"Just before kick-off, Jack Conan’s hamstring was a little bit tight," Gatland said. "He did brilliantly to get through 70 minutes but we made the decision to take him off and play with 14 men as it wasn’t worth losing another player before we get on the plane."
