British & Irish Lions Confirm Tadhg Furlong Fit for Australia Tour Amid Squad Injuries

The British & Irish Lions have expressed confidence that star tighthead prop Tadhg Furlong will be fit for the upcoming tour to Australia despite his recent calf injury, with coaches allaying concerns over his readiness and stating he could feature in Leinster's United Rugby Championship final this weekend. Furlong, a key figure in recent Lions tours, has not played since early May, raising initial fears about squad depth, especially after Zander Fagerson was ruled out with a similar injury, though he may rejoin the squad in a few weeks. Ireland's Finlay Bealham has been called up to replace Fagerson, and young prop Asher Opoku-Fordjour is providing additional cover in training. Other injured players, including Mack Hansen, Duhan van der Merwe, and Huw Jones, are also reported to be recovering well and are expected to be available soon. The Lions' coaching staff maintain there are no plans to call up further tighthead cover, expressing confidence in their current player availability for both the Argentina warm-up match and the Australia tour. The full squad, including those currently involved in domestic finals, is expected to assemble after club commitments conclude.