When British & Irish Lions head doctor, James Robson, announced that he had never seen blisters like the ones Andrew Sheridan picked up in the opening game against the Royal XV, everyone felt sympathy for him.

After all, we all suffered from blistered feet and it can be very painful. But the sympathy stopped with those outside the FRU.
So when Lions scrum coach Graham Rowntree, a life-member of the FRU and proud of it, was asked how England's finest loose head prop was coming along, he merely rolled his eyes to the heavens.

"He's not going to miss a game through blisters - I simply won't let it happen. I will send him home if he has to miss a game through blisters," said Rowntree.

You can, therefore, expect Sheridan to be a part of the game in Bloemfontein against the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday.
With the competition hotting up for places in the Test front row, Rowntree wants to keep all his players on their toes.

"We have got a lot of guys putting their hands up for Test selection and in 10 days time we are going to be faced with some very nice problems," said Rowntree.

"We know this tour is only going to get harder as it goes along, but we are putting more pressure on ourselves than anyone else. In this country you have to respect everyone and every challenge, especially in the Free State.

"If I was playing for them I'd be fancying my chances playing against a Lions team that might be a bit complacent. We won't let that happen, but they'll come at us hammer and tongs.

"We were a lot more efficient in the contact area against the Golden Lions and it was a big improvement. But we have got to keep on improving."