British and Irish Lions wing Tommy Bowe has insisted that his tough recovery from injury was all worth it in the end after being selected in the starting XV to face Australia on Saturday.
The 29-year-old, who already has three Lions Test caps to his name, has been missing for over a fortnight since breaking his hand in his side's win over Queensland Reds earlier this month.
However, the Ireland international, who went through a strenuous regime in order to regain his fitness, admits that being picked to start against the Wallabies has warranted his efforts.
"It has been a real roller-coaster few weeks and I've done everything and anything to try to get it fixed. I've been taking protein shakes, calcium tablets, omega tablets and vitamins as well as having constant icing and physio two, three or four times a day," Bowe told the Lions website.
"To go from seeing the fracture put up on the board, the X-Ray, to be shown the fracture spiral right through the bone and be told that that's pretty much my tour over to being told by the surgeon that he's had guys come back within three weeks was emotional. But that enabled me to get back for selection for the second Test. Then I had to go through all the physio and everything else to try and get myself back and available - it has been a bit of a roller-coaster.
"But these are the sort of games that you want to be involved in. You play your career in rugby to play in big games. Getting injured is the hardest part of professional sport. Whenever you get picked to play in a match like this it makes it all worth it - as long as you win."
The Lions face Australia in the second Test on Saturday.
Matt Cotton
