White 'hasn't Stopped Shaking' After Late Lions Call-up

Toulon scrum-half Ben White admits "I haven't stopped shaking" aft being called up arsenic an wounded replacement for nan British and Irish Lions conscionable arsenic he was preparing to play for Scotland connected Saturday.

The 27-year-old sewage nan telephone from Lions caput coach Andy Farrell aft Wales' Tomos Williams was forced disconnected nan section pinch a hamstring wounded aft scoring a effort successful nan 54-7 triumph complete Western Force successful Perth connected Saturday.

White was fixed nan news astatine nan Scotland training campy successful Whangarei, New Zealand, wherever he was preparing to look nan Maori All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa this summer.

"It's beautiful crazy," he told Scottish Rugby. "I don't deliberation it's rather sunk successful yet to beryllium honest.

"He called maine this greeting - astir an hr agone - and I conscionable haven't stopped shaking since. It's an unthinkable honour. I'm really excited."

White admitted that it "was tough" to watch nan original Lions squad beryllium announced arsenic he missed retired connected selection.

"But it was an acquisition that I tin put successful nan locker," he said. "I conscionable knew I had to conscionable do what I could and effort to play good for my club, Toulon.

"I was really excited to beryllium connected circuit pinch Scotland, and to play for Scotland's amazing, and I was focused connected that.

"I conjecture that someone's looking retired for maine upstairs. It's falling connected my feet."

White "straight away" phoned his parents to present nan news.

"I don't deliberation they could rather judge it," he said. "They were evidently conscionable incredibly proud. It was a awesome telephone telephone to have.

"It's thing you dream of but you ne'er really deliberation you'll do."

White brings Scotland's Lions practice successful nan 38-strong squad backmost up to 8 aft guardant Zander Fagerson was forced to retreat done injury.

"Obviously there's there's a adjacent fewer Scottish boys successful nan squad and it'll beryllium awesome to spot those boys arsenic good arsenic besides gathering nan players that I don't cognize excessively well," he said.

Two minutes aft Scotland caput coach Gregor Townsend passed connected his congratulations, White was told he was booked connected a noon formation to Australia.

Townsend now has to hole for Saturday's gathering pinch nan Maori All Blacks without his 25-times capped first-choice scrum-half.

"It was an honour to beryllium called up to play for Scotland and to beryllium present successful New Zealand was astonishing and I was really looking guardant to 3 large trial matches," White added.

"But nan squad that we person present is astonishing and I cognize that they'll they're going to spell good against nan Maori astatine nan weekend. It's going to beryllium a awesome crippled for america and I deliberation we've trained really well, truthful it'll beryllium breathtaking to spot really we spell and I'll beryllium watching for sure."