THE British and Irish Lions could be about to give key roles on tour in South Africa to three youngsters in their first season of international rugby.

The Sunday Times understands that the Lions have decided not to replace the injured Tom Shanklin and to tour with a party of 36 instead of 37 - letting loose for the outside-centre position the triumvirate of Leigh Halfpenny, who has played only 24 professional games, Keith Earls, with two caps, and Luke Fitzgerald. None of them is widely known in the world game.

The idea in increasing the original size of the party from 36 to 37 was to give cover in the event of Munster, with their large Lions contingent, reaching the Heineken Cup final. Now, with the powerful Shanklin out of the tour, the Lions will leave the party as it is. This is a big gamble and will also mean that with Brian O’Driscoll the only top-line outside-centre in the party, the illustrious Irishman could be wrapped in cotton wool for the whole tour, appearing sparingly, possibly as rarely as twice before the first Test.

The likely appeal by Alan Quinlan, the Irish flanker, against a 12-week ban for gouging is a major complication.

A Four Home Unions insider said: “It is hard to believe that Alan will go from a 12-week ban to no ban after his appeal.” The Lions must wait in hope. It is understood that Tom Croft, of Leicester, has been placed on stand-by pending the results of any appeal.

The Lions were also surprised to hear from the International Rugby Board that they will not have to play under the experimental law variations.

The ill-fated ELV experiment is to continue till August even though only a tiny few of the measures have been accepted, but the experiments have been abandoned, and therefore the law allowing a team to collapse a maul disappears – as do other laws the Lions expected to be playing under.

The Lions chose their touring party believing that mauling would not be allowed and the Springboks now have the luxury of choosing their players in full knowledge that the goalposts have changed.