SHOCK CALL-UP Shane Williams is ready to make an instant impact when he resumes his Lions career tomorrow.

Williams, 36, thought he had pulled on the famous red jersey for the last time when he lined out in the third Test against South Africa in Johannesburg four years ago.

But with coach Warren Gatland inundated with injuries and scrambling to piece together a side to face the Brumbies tomorrow, the Welsh winger got an unexpected phone call on Saturday night.

Williams currently plays with the Mitsubishi Dynaboars and while he admits the standard in Japan’s Top League is not quite as high, he vowed to be ready for tomorrow’s warm-up in Canberra.

“My last game was on Saturday in 35 degrees,” Williams said as he met the media with Brad Barritt and Christian Wade, the Lions’ other new faces. “It’s a little bit cooler here so that’s one challenge out of the way. We lost.

“Of course it’s not going to be to the standard that’s going to be played tomorrow. However I have kept fit and I’ve worked just as hard in Japan as I have throughout my career, so hopefully it’s not going to be too much of a shock to the system.

(©INPHO/Dan Sheridan)

“I’ve played enough professional games and international games to know what to expect tomorrow. If I felt for one second that I wasn’t going to be ready for this game or good enough for this game, I would’ve told Rob [Howley, assistant coach] where to stick it.”

Williams, who won four Test caps for the Lions in 2005 and 2009, is under no illusions about the task facing himself, Barritt and Wade.

I’ve got to learn all the calls again and the patterns. Of course it’s going to be difficult but we’re professional rugby players, we’ve played alongside the majority of them guys before. Tonight we’ve all got to do our homework, we’ve all got to make sure that we’re fully prepared mentally for this game because we’ve come here today and we don’t want to let anybody down. We want to go out there and give it 100% and if we don’t do that, we’re letting ourselves down, not anybody else.

It’s going to be tough but we’re fully prepared to give it our all and do what we do best really, and that is play the way we play. That’s the reason these guys have been chosen to come out and do their stuff tomorrow.

Wade’s call-up comes a week after the Wasps winger made his full debut for England against Argentina. He was originally named in Stuart Lancaster’s team for the second Test against the Pumas but instead, he lines out tomorrow on the right wing opposite Williams.

“I’ve paid close attention to Christian,” Williams said. “I’ve been speaking to Stephen Jones about him. He’s a very talented player, new on the scene and already raising eyebrows. He’s obviously a massive talent.

“I enjoy the way he plays, he’s a very aggressive runner, very fast and enjoys taking defenders on. My kind of guy really and I’m looking forward to playing with him tomorrow and seeing what he’s got. He’s more than capable of showing what he’s got tomorrow and being part of this Test series I think.”

Williams with Wade and Barritt today (David Davies/PA Wire/Press Association Images)

For Barritt, who cut short a holiday in America to join the squad, the last 48 hours have illustrated the efficiency of the Lions’ backroom team.

“I think where there’s a will, there’s a way and they’ll somehow find a way to make the impossible happen,” he laughed when asked how his gear had made its way to Australia.

“Credit to them, I had boots delivered this morning and strangely I had a gum guard in my toiletry bag.”

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