The Lions today called up the Ireland centre, Gordon D'Arcy, because of mounting injuries in midfield. The 29-year-old, who can play at both inside- and outside-centre, will arrive tomorrow morning, just before the squad leave for Bloemfontein.

D'Arcy, who has 41 caps for Ireland, toured New Zealand with the 2005 Lions and was a surprise omission from the original squad this time. His arrival will swell the number of players to 38 and reduce the pressure on the fit midfielders. The player giving the biggest cause for concern is England's Riki Flutey. He is still hampered by a knee strain he sustained after coming on as a replacement last Saturday against a Royal XV in Rustenburg.

He will not be available for Saturday's match with the Free State Cheetahs, while the Ireland centre Keith Earls is still receiving treatment for a shoulder injury he sustained last Saturday.

The Ireland wing Luke Fitzgerald, an option in the centre, was not considered for tonight's match against the Golden Lions because of a chest infection and the tourists are concerned that too big a load will be dumped on Brian O'Driscoll and Jamie Roberts, the front-runners for the midfield berths in the opening Test against South Africa on 20 June.

"While the injured players are receiving treatment, we felt it was prudent to bring out another midfielder," said the Lions head coach, Ian McGeechan. "Due to the short nature of this tour we have to be prepared for every eventuality. An extra back at this stage, three matches into the tour, will provide the extra depth to cover the existing injuries plus any further injuries we may encounter.

"Gordon's partnership with Brian O'Driscoll is a proven one and it can only benefit us. He showed in the recent Heineken Cup final and playing for the Barbarians against England last weekend that he is back to his best. He was on our reserve list and we had no hesitation in calling him up to the squad."

The South Africa squad, minus the 10 players from the Bulls side who have been given the week off after winning the Super 14, were today relaxing in their team hotel in the north of Johannesburg, ahead of a series of physical training sessions next week. The Springboks will go into the first Test without having played a full international since last November, although a warm-up game against a Namibia XV, minus the Bulls players, was held in Windhoek last week.

"We know we have a lot of hard work to do in training and there may be some contact matches arranged, but we will be ready by June 20," said the No8, Ryan Kankowski. "We have all been given some time off since our Super 14 campaigns ended, but fatigue is not a problem because we are only four months into our season.

"We have not focused on the Lions yet, but 12 of us are going to watch them play the Golden Lions tonight and things will start cranking up next week when we are together. Everyone is on a high after the Bulls won the Super 14, but we will be playing in a different style to them."

The 23-year old Kankowski, who has won seven caps, has been a recent target of clubs in Europe, including Wasps, but he said he has no plans to leave the Sharks or South Africa. "The big thing in your mind is to be available for your country, which may not be the case if you go overseas," he said. "I love playing for the Sharks and cannot see myself leaving any time soon. I think it is more of an option for older guys and it may be something I consider down the line."

The Bulls and South Africa centre, Wynand Olivier, who is 26 next week, will consider his future after the end of this year's Currie Cup when his contract runs out. "There are a couple of options for me in France and England, but I have not decided anything yet," he said. "Both countries hold appeal, but there is also Japan and Italy to consider. It will be a hard call because I would like to play for the Springboks for a couple more years.

"At the moment, I am focusing on the Lions. They have some very good players and we will certainly not be underestimating them. The best European back I have ever faced is Brian O'Driscoll. He is pure class, one of the reasons why we know we are in for a tough Test series."