Jack Hughes is relieved to be making his Great Britain debut instead of spending his time talking about his private parts.
The forward missed out on the first two Lions Tests and was sent instead into sponsors lounges to entertain guests pre-match. Inevitably the spotlight came around to Hughes’ horrific injury in August when he played for 35 minutes with a ruptured testicle.
The Warrington co-captain said: “My testicle has become a bit more famous than I thought - it’s gone world-wide. It definitely makes blokes cringe when they hear about it but it’s good to have a laugh about it.
“It was dramatic at the time but I have recovered well from it and I can make fun of it.”
Hughes, who was warned he may lose his testicle before having emergency surgery, has made a full recovery. The second rower makes his Lions debut at centre on Saturday in the second Test match against New Zealand in Christchurch.
Injuries to three-quarters Oliver Gildart and Ryan Hall have forced changes, with Zak Hardaker moving from centre on to the wing. But Hughes, 27, said he’s confident he will cope, having previously played there at club level at times.
He said: “A couple of injuries have tested the depth of the squad so I’ve been asked to do a job at centre and hopefully I won’t let anyone down.
“It is nothing new to me. Back in my Wigan days I did the majority of one season at centre and I dropped in there two or three times for Warrington this year.
“You’re not too far away from the second row position but you are in a bit more stress and pressure defensively in the centres. There is also a bit more decision making and there are more speedsters out there to deal with but it is something I am not fazed by. I can deal with pressure.”
Coach Wayne Bennett has been criticised for only naming one specialist centre in Gildart and two wingers in Hall and Jermaine McGillvary. But Hughes said the squad is versatile enough to deal with the injuries picked up in the first two defeats to Tonga and New Zealand.
Last year's England Knights captain said: “It is not like we have asked big Tom Burgess to jump in on the wing.
“We have got the likes of me and John Bateman, who are both agile back rowers, who can play different positions. Playing back row isn’t too much different to playing in the centres.”
Stand-off Gareth Widdop is confident Great Britain can pick up their first win of the tour in Christchurch on Saturday.
He said: "We were disappointed with the result last Saturday but I thought we played some good football at times and it was an improvement on the Tonga game.
"We are all competitive blokes and want to win and we are very positive. There are a few areas we need to fix up but we're ready for another big challenge.”
