The surgeon who has virtually rebuilt Scotland�s national rugby squad in recent years has called for special treatment of players selected for this summer�s British and Irish Lions tour in order to protect their future careers.

The surgeon who has virtually rebuilt Scotland's national rugby squad in recent years has called for special treatment of players selected for this summer's British and Irish Lions tour in order to protect their future careers.

Gordon MacKay, whose own background in sport includes being a professional footballer on Rangers' books at one time, has established himself as one of the country's pre-eminent specialists in mending sports injuries over the past decade. The roll call of Scotland players on whom he has performed reconstructive surgery is almost disturbing, as our photograph of Mackay's former patients, taken last season, demonstrates.

"We were setting the picture up at a squad session and said that all those who hadn't had reconstructive surgery under me could go for a shower. Only about five of them left," MacKay noted, adding that he had even operated on the press photographer who took the picture, David Gibson, after he was involved in a sideline collision with Chris Cusiter a coupleof years ago.

While much of his work can now be done via keyhole surgery, minimising trauma and so recovery time, the surgeon would still prefer not to have to operate whenever possible and is hoping that all those involved will see the bigger picture ahead of this tour.

His principal concern revolves around the damage that can be done to players if they are exposed to increased intensity in training and matches at the end of gruelling seasons.

A prime example came on the last Lions tour when Simon Taylor, the Scotland No.8 who has undergone major work on both his knees, found himself exposed to a type of sprint training to which he was unaccustomed. That brought on a hamstring injury which ultimately cost him his tour place.

Or there was Tom Smith who, having been one of the heroes of the last successful Lions tour in South Africa in 1997, was not subsequently fit to play another Testfor more than a year.

"My concern is that if they are not looked after properly it can have an impact, not only on theirperformance the following season, but for the rest of their careers," said MacKay.

He accepts there is no way around the problems of a schedule that sees managements at club, country and then Lions level all want to put their best players on the pitch in all the most important matches. For a significant number, that will include crucial end-of-season matches with their clubs sandwiched between theend of the RBS 6 Nations and the Lions tour.

MacKay acknowledges that players can be their own worst enemies when a Lions tour, rugby's equivalent of becoming an Olympian, comes along.

Lions year is, quite simply, a special case where the intensity level rises for an extended period at a time when players should be thinking about recovering from what has already been a long and challenging season.

"The difficulty is with the modest injury such as a painful shoulder, a puffy knee or a weak ankle injuries you would normally address and recover from whether through surgical or non-surgical treatment. You are never going to give up on aLions tour because of that, so what you do is strap up and get onwith it," he said.

He believes the damage can be mitigated by advance planning and the first thing he called for is the Lions management to identify the bulk of their squad as early as possible.

As things stand, a preparation squad of around 60 is expected to be named this month, but the management has said the final party will not be identified until May, the very point at which players are involved in those season-defining club matches.

The surgeon believes as many of the squad as possible should know before that time that they will be involved with the Lions so they can be monitored in a different way. "What you need to do ahead of the tour is mop up all the minor problems," he explained. "That prevents what we call second injury syndrome and, to avoid that, we need a wee period of what we call surveillance, recovery and rehabilitation.

"As soon as they've narrowed it down to individuals who are likely to go, I would suggest that they should tell them the core squad - maybe 30 or so if it's going to be a 35 man squad - in advance. Ideally the squad should be in the public domain by the end of March so they can be preparing and effectively protecting themselves for what will be a very demanding summer.

"That would allow extra surveillance to protect them, which could, for example, mean modifying training or taking modest injuries a little more seriously, resting from certain league matches or being used sparingly within certain league matches.

"It is human nature that even players who suspect they are going to make the tour party feel under pressure to impress as the time comes closer to selection, soare likely to try to do that onething too much."

The nature of the tour itself means calculated risks will be taken during it by players and coaches regarding minor knocks, but the way players are treated afterwards is even more crucial, says MacKay.

"It is almost a de-briefing period where the medical team identify any weaknesses or residual problems as a result of the tour and work out individual programmes to ensure they return fit and healthy to their clubs within a realistic timeframe," he said. "That has to be standardised, not one where the player just says I'm fit'."

While much of that may seem like little more than common sense, Mackay said that to do it all properly requires a shift in thinking within the sport.

"I'm no authority on the Lions, but to me the focus is always short-term, whether it be the Six Nations, the Heineken Cup or the league and then, hopefully, everyone gets out the other end intact before they are on to the next group of games," he added. "We need a more strategic view so that everyone can benefit. At the moment I think the uncertainty of whether or not they are going to be included in the Lions squad encourages players to go above and beyond."