British and Irish Lions

Scottish skipper Mike Blair is hoping to recover from the back injury he sustained in the defeat by Ireland to enable him to lead his side against England at Twickenham Stadium in the final round of the RBS 6 Nations this weekend.

British & Irish Lions scrum-half candidate Blair was taken off after 52 minutes against the Irish after suffering from a back spasm.

"Mike has been assessed today and his condition is improving. He had a comfortable night's sleep and is up and mobile," said Scottish team doctor James Robson, who will also travel with the Lions to South Africa this summer.

"He will be subject to further review tomorrow with a view to resuming running, hopefully on Wednesday."

Thom Evans (shoulder) and Alasdair Strokosh (neck) both received treatment after the 22-15 defeat at Murrayfield, but are expected to be fit for consideration for Saturday.

The Brumbies pair of Ben Mowen and Christian Leali'ifano will get the chance to follow in the footsteps of their team mates by beating the British & Irish Lions when they make their Qantas Wallaby Test debuts against the tourists in Brisbane on Saturday.

Rob Howley says having George North available for selection is a major plus for the British & Irish Lions as they go in search of the tries he believes will be needed to beat the Qantas Wallabies this Saturday.