British Lions coach Ian McGeechan has revealed Quins winger Ugo Monye’s finishing prowess tipped the selection scales in his favour for Saturday’s first Test against South Africa.
The 26-year-old has scored four tries on tour so far to add to the 10 tries he notched up for his club last season as director of rugby Dean Richards’ men finished second in the Premiership table and reached the quarter-finals of the Heineken Cup.
He was up against world player of the year Shane Williams and Luke Fitzgerald for a starting slot and McGeechan admitted it was Monye’s performances during the course of the trip that got him the nod.
“Ugo is a proven finisher and has played very well on tour. He is a strong player,” he said.
“We’ve tried to look a lot at how players have responded on tour. Some decisions have been very tight in various positions.
“Ugo has held his hand up and shown that when he sees the try line he doesn’t often miss it.”
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