Scotland wing Tommy Seymour says his journey from Ulster reject to British and Irish Lion is "beyond belief".

The Glasgow Warriors player was one of just two Scots selected by Warren Gatland for this summer's Lions tour of New Zealand, alongside club-mate and full-back Stuart Hogg.
"I don't think many people could have written this kind of path for me," said 28-year-old Seymour.
"I would never have expected this in a million years."
Seymour has flourished at Glasgow since joining in 2011 after failing to make his mark at Ulster where he says he was deemed "surplus to requirements".
He has developed into a top-class winger at Scotstoun, but says the thought of pulling on the Lions jersey was not even on his radar when he first arrived at the club.
"I don't think anyone at that age, moving clubs that young, would dare to think along those lines," he said.
"I can never have enough thanks towards Glasgow and the SRU for giving me the chance to carry on playing. When you have to leave a club at that age, somewhat surplus to requirements, you can definitely have doubts in your head - and to have doubts at a young age isn't great.
"It's an amazing feeling. Four years ago I was hopeful that Sean Maitland would be picked (for the 2013 Lions tour), as he rightly was, so there would be a wing spot free for the Scotland tour, which I ended up getting my first cap on. It's amazing to look back on."
Some prominent Scottish rugby figures have expressed dismay at just two Scots making the Lions squad despite Six Nations victories over Ireland and Wales, who by comparison had a combined 23 players selected.
Seymour admits that he would have loved to have seen more of his Scotland team-mates make the plane to New Zealand, but the competition for places from the four home nations made Gatland's selection process particularly tough.
"I will never be in the position of having to go through the difficulty of selecting a squad for something of this magnitude and I wouldn't dare try and put myself in the head-space of someone that would," Seymour added.
"As a Scotland team we had a great Six Nations, in my opinion, and a lot of guys put their hand up for selection, as did a lot of players from the other countries. It's an incredibly difficult job to pick a squad like this.
"Would I have loved it on a personal note to have more guys? Of course I would. It's such a hot question for a player to answer because I'm over the moon and forever thankful my name was read out. I'm not really going to get involved in the broader selection."


Sebastian Vettel led a Ferrari one-two in second practice at the Russian Grand Prix as title rivals Mercedes appeared to struggle for pace.

The four-time champion was 0.263 seconds clear of team-mate Kimi Raikkonen while Mercedes' Valtteri Bottas was 0.670secs off the pace.
Lewis Hamilton, seven points behind Vettel in the championship, was fourth quickest, 0.039secs off his team-mate.
Hamilton had a difficult day and also struggled on his race-simulation run.
But Bottas' form was more encouraging on the long runs, matching Vettel's pace as they practised for the first stint of the race in the final part of the session.
Vettel played down the significance of Ferrari's performance, saying: "On paper this looks like a Mercedes track and I am sure they did not show everything today.
"They did not get their lap together. The gap you see is artificial ... it is a circuit that suits them. They will be strong tomorrow."
Hamilton appeared to be struggling with his car throughout the day - he aborted his first two attempts at a fast lap, made a series of mistakes and was slower than Bottas in both sessions.
"It has generally been a tricky day," said Hamilton. "The Ferrari is definitely quickest as they have been all year so far and we will work to try to pick up some pace tomorrow."
"If we can get out tyres working properly I think we can be closer and similar. There is no difference to our car compared to the previous races so the gap is still very close between us as it has been in the past."
The Red Bulls of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo were fifth and sixth but 1.4 seconds off Vettel's pace, and the Dutchman ground to a halt with an engine problem midway through the session.
It was another difficult day for McLaren-Honda. Stoffel Vandoorne suffered an engine problem at the end of the first session which required a change of power-unit.
That has resulted in the Belgian receiving a 15-place grid penalty because he has already used too many of the six constituent parts of the engine. Vandoorne is now on his fifth turbocharger and fifth MGU-H, the part of the hybrid system that recovers energy from the turbo, when only four changes are permitted in the entire 20-round season.
Team-mate Fernando Alonso was 12th quickest, 2.6 seconds slower than Vettel.


A 34-year-old woman was raped in Glasgow city centre in the early hours of Friday, police have said.

The woman was in Cadogan Street at about 05:00 when she was attacked by a man.
Police said it was understood that the victim, her friend and the man then boarded a number 61 bus on Hope Street at about 06:18.
The man was described as in his 20s, sallow-skinned and wearing dark clothing.
Det Insp Diane Caldwell said: "We are looking to speak to anyone that was travelling on the number 61 bus around this time who may have witnessed a disturbance involving two women and a man.
"Officers are carrying out inquiries locally, examining CCTV and patrols have been stepped up around the city centre to provide reassurance to members of the public."


A daily guide to the key stories, newspaper headlines and quotes from the campaign for the 7 May general election.

Follow all the reaction, key points and analysis of the debate on our rolling live coverage.
The Times leads on the Conservatives' promise to freeze regulated rail fares at the level of inflation, while three of the latest polls have Labour in the lead
The Guardian's top political story also focuses on the Tories' promise to rail commuters
The Telegraph thinks that Defence Secretary Michael Fallon's personal attack on Ed Miliband was the moment the campaign turned ugly
A UKIP parliamentary candidate is to be questioned over allegations he tried to influence voters by giving away sausage rolls at a party event featuring snooker star Jimmy White.
Kim Rose, standing in Southampton Itchen, said he had been told to report to police over allegations of treating.
Electoral Commission rules state food and entertainment cannot be provided by candidates to "corruptly influence" votes.
Mr Rose has rejected the allegations, claiming that "all the intentions were good".
Communities Secretary Eric Pickles on volunteering leave: "Of course we've thought about who's going to pay. This election's about building a better future for our children and our grandchildren and obviously the foundation of that is economic security - but you've got to think about what kind of society you're going to build at the same time."
Shadow foreign secretary Douglas Alexander on Michael Fallon's "backstabber" comment: "I think most people feel that the Tory tactics actually backfired on them and exposed the hint of desperation already surrounding their faltering campaign."
UKIP candidate Kim Rose: "It's absolutely ridiculous. I'm sure people aren't going to change their mind for a sausage roll."
Catch up with Thursday's day at-a-glance.
* Subscribe to the BBC Election 2015 newsletter to get a round-up of the day's campaign news sent to your inbox every weekday afternoon.


Hong Kong Chief Executive CY Leung has publicly defended the city's decision not to rubber stamp a request from the US to detain fugitive former US intelligence contractor Edward Snowden.

Speaking to reporters, he said the move demonstrated a commitment to justice and procedural fairness.
But Albert Ho, Mr Snowden's solicitor, has told me that the back story is tinged with political intrigue.
The ex-CIA analyst hired Mr Ho, one of Hong Kong's best-known human rights lawyers, and his junior associate Jonathan Man two weeks ago, shortly after arriving in the city.
It was Mr Man who accompanied Mr Snowden when he checked out of the Mira hotel and into a safe house when his identity was unmasked to the world.
Mr Ho described the IT specialist as bright, sharp and extremely technology savvy, with a keen appetite for US politics. At first, Mr Snowden seemed committed to staying in Hong Kong and fighting against extradition through local courts.
But soon, reality sank in.
Mr Snowden's lawyers told him it was very possible that he might be in jail throughout the lengthy legal proceedings. At the very least, his freedom and activities would be curtailed.
Mr Snowden asked his lawyers to reach out to the Hong Kong government to get a sense of how he might be treated. Mr Ho said he had a meeting with officials last Friday, which yielded no answers.
Somewhere around that time, a message was delivered to Mr Snowden through one of his supporters, purportedly by a person who claimed government status. Mr Ho said that person urged Mr Snowden to leave, and assured him that he would not be arrested if he left his safe house.
Unsure about the person's credibility, Mr Snowden asked Mr Ho to confirm the message with the Hong Kong government. Mr Ho said he made a phone call to a senior Hong Kong official, which again yielded no answers.
By this time, the US had made public the charges against Mr Snowden. He was feeling the heat.
Mr Ho said Mr Snowden at first intended to leave Hong Kong for Moscow on Saturday night. For some reason, perhaps because Mr Ho had made no progress with the Hong Kong official, he hesitated.
But by Sunday, Mr Snowden was ready to leave. Again, Mr Man accompanied him.
Together, they went to the airport. Mr Ho said Mr Snowden was uncharacteristically nervous on that journey.
Mr Man watched as Mr Snowden checked in and walked through airport security like any other passenger.
Mr Ho now believes the message delivered to Mr Snowden asking him to leave came from the Beijing government. The Hong Kong government has not responded to a BBC request for comment.
Mr Ho, a pro-democracy lawmaker who was a candidate for chief executive last year, says a long extradition hearing in Hong Kong would have damaged Sino-US relations and embarrassed China.
But at the same time, it was in Beijing's interest to ensure Mr Snowden remained a free man, still able to leak US government secrets.


The practice of sending mentally ill adults in England long distances for care is unacceptable and must end, a report by experts says.

The Independent Commission, chaired by ex-NHS chief executive Lord Crisp, said some cases were potentially dangerous.
Some 500 patients travel more than 50km (31 miles) to access care each month - as acute inpatient beds or services are unavailable in their areas, it said.
The government has asked the NHS to cut unnecessary out-of-area treatments.
The report, which is backed by the Royal College of Psychiatrists (RCP), recommends changes to how services are commissioned.
It says that, from October 2017, no acutely ill patient should have to travel long distances to receive care.
At the same time, a maximum four-hour wait for acute psychiatric care - in hospital or the community after an initial assessment - should be introduced, it says.
The aim is to guarantee that patients with mental health problems are treated equally to those with physical problems.
President of the RCP, Prof Sir Simon Wessely, said: "Everyone agrees that it is a scandal that patients with serious mental disorders who need admission can end up being sent anywhere from Cornwall to Cumbria in a search for a bed.  And yet it continues.
"The answers lie not in just providing more beds, although there are definitely places where that might help in the short term, but assessing the entire system."
The report, led by former chief executive of NHS England, Lord Nigel Crisp, said access to acute care for severely ill adult mental health patients was inadequate nationally and, in some cases, potentially dangerous.
The most common problem, it said, was difficulty in finding a bed for a patient in need - and the problem that posed to patients and the public if someone needing inpatient care was not admitted.
The declining bed numbers along with increased demand had made the situation worse, it said.
The Commission said crisis bed management was a daily occurrence in some trusts, with staff trying to free up beds by moving patients from ward to ward, sending them home on leave, or discharging them earlier than planned.
Other patients were asked to travel "unacceptably long distances" to find a bed, it said.
Minister for Mental Health, Alistair Burt, said the report would help to shape planned changes to build a better mental health service.
"NHS England will soon be publishing its independent Mental Health Taskforce report, backed by the Â£1bn investment announced by the prime minister earlier this year."
Mental health charities said more investment was long overdue.
Brian Dow of Rethink Mental Illness said: "Unfortunately continuous cuts to mental health care funding have left too many services pushed to breaking point.
"Mental health remains a neglected service."
In 2013/14, 1.7 million people in England used mental health services, with 105,270 admitted to hospital.


Police are hunting a prisoner who absconded from Hollesley Bay open prison, near Woodbridge in Suffolk, on Tuesday.

Kyle Naylor, 26, who was jailed for robbery and wounding, was reported missing after he failed to attend a roll call at 23:00 GMT on Tuesday.
He is described as white, about 5ft 7in (1.7m) tall, of thin build, with black hair, brown eyes and a moustache.
Police said Naylor had connections with the Nottingham area.
Officers asked anyone who may have seen Naylor, who was serving an indeterminate sentence, or anyone with information about where he is, to contact police.
The public are advised not to approach him.


Turkey's highest appeals court has overturned the convictions of 275 people, including senior military officers, accused of plotting a coup.

The appeals court ruled that the convictions were unsafe because the existence of a clandestine network called Ergenekon was unproven.
The officers, journalists, lawyers and academics were found guilty in 2013 of plotting the overthrow of then-prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
The new ruling may lead to a retrial.
The Ergenekon case was one of the biggest in recent Turkish history, pitting Mr Erdogan's supporters in the Islamist-rooted AK Party against the secularist military establishment.
The trials took place amid high security at Silivri, outside Istanbul, and police repeatedly used tear gas and water cannon to keep protesters at a distance.
The highest-ranking defendant was ex-military chief Ilker Basbug, who was given a life sentence. Sixteen other life sentences were also handed down, with long jail terms for others.
The appeals court found several other flaws in the original proceedings, including illegal surveillance and searches.
Mr Basbug walked free in March 2014, after Turkey's constitutional court overturned his sentence, citing a legal technicality. He was in charge of the Turkish military from 2008 to 2010.
The Ergenekon network was accused of plotting a coup against Mr Erdogan - now Turkey's president - in 2003-2004.
The trials were based on suspicions of a shadowy "deep state" conspiring to cause social unrest which would then provoke a military coup.
Mr Erdogan's critics saw the investigation as an attempt to curb the influence of the powerful military, which for decades saw itself as the final arbiter in Turkish politics. Since coming to power in 2002, Mr Erdogan has asserted civilian supremacy over the military.
Between 1960 and 1997, the armed forces removed four civilian governments. The Welfare Party ousted in 1997 was a predecessor of Mr Erdogan's Justice and Development Party (AKP).
Hundreds of military officers were arrested in a five-year investigation before the Ergenekon verdict. Some of them were prosecuted in a separate case called "Sledgehammer".


Gianfranco Zola has resigned as head coach of Watford with the club 13th in the Championship table.

The 47-year-old Italian arrived at Vicarage Road in July 2012 and led them to the Championship play-off final last season, losing to Crystal Palace 1-0.
But Watford have lost their last five home games and last won in October.
"I feel that it's in the best interests of the team that somebody new is given the chance to bring the success we have hoped for," Zola said in a statement.
"It is for a variety of reasons, and not just over one matter or one moment, that I feel this is the right decision for me, in the best interests of the club."
Former Chelsea and Italy striker Zola was brought in shortly after the Italian Pozzo family acquired the club in June 2012.
His only previous management experience came at West Ham in a two-year spell between September 2008 and May 2010.
Zola's appointment at Watford was part of the Pozzo's ambitions to take the club back to the Premier League, with the family already owning Udinese in Italy's Serie A and Granada in Spain's La Liga.
During Zola's first season in charge, Watford took full advantage of the unlimited number of overseas loan players allowed, bringing in 10 players from Udinese over the course of the season.
The policy drew criticism from opposition managers and led to a change in Football League rules, limiting the number of overseas loans to five.
With the help of the loan signings, the Hornets finished third in the Championship table, but after a thrilling last-gasp play-off semi-final win against Leicester, they lost the final at Wembley thanks to Kevin Phillips's extra-time penalty.
Zola added: "Last season was such an amazing time, for the players, the staff and the supporters. And I loved that journey. Every minute of it brought a new challenge, different experiences and a lot of learning.
"But this game does not wait and does not stop.
"There is always the next challenge and a new environment ahead which means nothing is ever the same."
Zola admitted after Saturday's 1-0 defeat against Sheffield Wednesday at Vicarage Road that he would be considering his future at the club.
The defeat came during a poor run of form that had seen the club drop from fifth to 13th in the Championship.
A club statement said: "It is with great sadness that the board of Watford Football Club has accepted the resignation of head coach Gianfranco Zola.
"Watford FC wishes to place on record its sincere gratitude to Gianfranco for his achievements at Vicarage Road, and for always acting with the utmost dignity and grace.
"The board fully respects his decision and Gianfranco will be welcome at Watford Football Club at any time in the future."


A giant jade stone weighing 175 tonnes has been uncovered by miners in Myanmar.

The stone is 4.3m (14ft) high and 5.8m (19ft) long, and is reportedly worth an estimated $170m (Â£140m).
It was found in a mine in the jade-producing Kachin state, in the north of the country.
Myanmar, also known as Burma, is the source of nearly all of the world's finest jadeite, a near-translucent green stone.
The jade industry is responsible for nearly half of the country's GDP.
One of its biggest markets is neighbouring China, where it is known as the "stone of heaven".


A pensioner from the Scottish Borders, thought to be the oldest ice cream van driver in the UK, has hung up his scoop at the age of 94.

Adam Kelly from Galashiels was forced to stop his round due to his failing eyesight.
He said he had intended to carry on for as long as he could "get out and in the van".
Tributes have been flooding in after news of his retirement was posted on a Facebook page at the weekend.
Mr Kelly said it was only an eye test which eventually put the brakes on his enthusiasm for his work.
"I just didn't want to stop, I just wanted to carry on," he explained.
"I got up every day, got the van ready and then went out - I just quite enjoyed it."
The D-Day veteran said he had seen a number of changes in the business since he started more than 50 years ago.
"Lately I went out about two o'clock and I was finished about seven or eight," he said.
"When I started at first I could have gone on all night.
"Nobody had freezers in those days and the shops all shut at about five o'clock - I was busy at night.
"I have been quite busy since but not as busy as I used to be."
Since stopping his rounds, Mr Kelly said people had told him they would miss seeing him around the town.
"There are a few folk I have met since I retired and they all say they miss me," he added.


Michael Dunlop, Derek McGee and Derek Sheils all secured successes in Sunday's Walderstown road races.

Michael won the Open race on his MD Racing BMW, with early leader Sheils runner-up, followed by McGee.
McGee ended William Dunlop's recent domination of the Supersport class by taking the 600cc honours, with the Ballymoney rider forced into second.
Sheils produced a superb ride in the Grand Final to see off the challenge of Michael, William and McGee.
The Cookstown BE Racing Suzuki rider overhauled early leader Michael Dunlop after making the correct choice of tyres.
Michael, 27, had reeled in the Dubliner in the earlier seven-lap Open race to take victory.
Magherafelt's Paul Jordan completed the podium in the Supersport race with Skerries rider Michael Sweeney fourth.
Jordan won the red-flagged Supertwins event after the race was red-flagged because of an incident involving Sweeney, who was unhurt.
Michael Dunlop will now head to the Isle of Man to compete in this week's Southern 100 races on the Billown circuit, near Castletown.


A 13-year-old boy is in a critical condition in hospital in Glasgow after being hit by at least two cars.

The boy was crossing Dumbarton Road in Scotstoun when he was hit by an Audi and a Ford Fiesta at about 14:40.
He was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.


Former US Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan has said that a repeat of the crisis that brought the country close to default is "perfectly conceivable".

He told the BBC that he had not seen another situation in Washington where "compromise" seemed so far away.
Mr Greenspan confessed to sympathies with the aims of the Tea Party, the Republican faction that fought the government during debt ceiling talks.
But the former central banker said the movement's tactics were "undemocratic".
Mr Greenspan, the most powerful figure in economic policy when he ran the Fed between 1987 to 2006, spoke to the BBC's Evan Davis ahead of publication of his new book, The Map and the Territory.
In a wide-ranging interview to be broadcast on Radio 4's Today programme and the World Service's Business Daily, the former Fed chief had strong words for those who thought the eurozone crisis was over.
The crisis is likely to continue until the eurozone sees "consolidation politically. I think that's where we are going".
He said: "The culture of Greece is not the same as the culture of Germany, and to fuse them into a single unit is extremely difficult.
"The only way you can do it is by political union, like with East and West Germany, and even that is not working as well as it should be."
But he was optimistic about the UK's attempt to revive its economy.
"What Britain has done with its austerity programme has worked much better than I thought it would," Mr Greenspan said.
"As far as I can judge, it [the economy] is coming out pretty much the way they [the coalition government] had expected."
Mr Greenspan also defended his record at the Fed against criticism that easy-credit policies and light-touch regulation had contributed substantially to the 2008 financial crash. He also declined to criticise the financial derivatives market.
He said: "One thing that shocked me is that not only did the Federal Reserve's very sophisticated model completely miss (the crash on) September 15th, 2008, but so did the IMF, so did JP Morgan, which was forecasting American economic growth three days before the crisis hit, going up all through 2009 and 2010."
There is a difference between predicting economic bubbles, and predicting when they might burst, he said.
He rejected suggestions that he was not clear enough in warning that the financial markets might be teetering on the edge of collapse.
However, his words of warning had to be couched very carefully in order not to unsettle the markets, he said. "I was very worried about what the impact would be."
Mr Greenspan, 87, who now runs his own consultancy business, also criticised a growing "crony capitalism" in the US.
He said: "Crony capitalism is essentially a condition in whichâ€¦ public officials are giving favours to people in the private sector in payment of political favours."
He said it was prevalent in China and Russia, but had not been common in the US or the UK. But he added: "I am beginning to worry that we are starting in that direction."
On China, he said that growth rates would begin to slow unless the country could be more innovative.
"One of the major problems with China is that its innovation is largely borrowed technology.
"There was a recent Reuters study where they listed the top 100 most innovative companies. Forty were American, none were Chinese.
"Chinese productivity is the highest in the world but the way they do it is by borrowing the technology from abroad, either by joint ventures or other means.
"What they are going to find, I suspect sooner rather than later, is thatâ€¦ unless they pick up innovation very specifically, their growth is going to slow down," Mr Greenspan said.
Part of the problem was that China remained a single-party state which was too conformist, and innovators there still did not "think outside of the box" enough.


From a Labour perspective - I stress, from a Labour perspective - the latest offer from the SNP anent post-election collaboration must seem somewhat like a cuckoo coalition.

That is because - again, from a Labour perspective - the prospectus involves the SNP moving in upon territories in Scotland which Labour has, hitherto, regarded as its fiefdoms.
It involves the SNP occupying the Scottish Labour nest, pushing the reluctant incumbent aside - and then arguing for a co-operative deal with the party across Britain.
From an SNP perspective, the initiative makes perfect strategic sense. Yes, Nicola Sturgeon genuinely seeks to influence the choice of the next UK government. Politicians are in business to effect change.
However, it also works long before that post-election choice arises. It works for the election campaign itself in that the offer is designed to place pressure upon Labour now.
Consider the three "red lines", set out by the SNP with an eye to collaborative talks from May 8. They are...
These are bargaining chips in that, for example, Ms Sturgeon would not necessarily insist upon the precise detail of her economic plan (an increase in public spending of 0.5 per cent per annum in real terms, while still reducing the deficit.)
But they are also designed to challenge Labour now. In front of the voters. While those voters are making up their minds. They are designed to influence the outcome of the election, not merely to anticipate discussions which might attend upon a particular outcome.
Ms Sturgeon is saying to Labour's Jim Murphy. So you reject further powers for Scotland? You favour austerity? You want to spend billions upgrading Trident?
These are, of course, simplistic versions of the debate which will take place on the hustings. But elections tend to generate simplicity - although there is anecdotal evidence that the prolonged referendum has sharpened the inquisitive tendencies of the Scottish electorate.
Equally, Mr Murphy will have his own questions to pose in return. About the Scottish government's own record: not up for election now but, he will argue, legitimately open to challenge. About full fiscal autonomy.
Here, at the SNP conference in Glasgow, Nicola Sturgeon has taken her message a step further. Addressing 3,000 delegates at this quite remarkable event, she said that the SNP would provide the "backbone and guts" for Labour in office.
Beyond this decidedly physical detail, Ms Sturgeon had a psychological message. She calculates that most of Scotland remains resilient to the appeal of the Conservatives. She is broadening the challenge to Labour. Given the choice, she questions, would you work with the SNP and "lock David Cameron out of office" - even if, as I established with sundry interviewees, the Tories have more seats than any other party?
That is her way around the argument - familiar from the past and adduced now by Mr Murphy - that voting SNP against Labour simply helps the Conservatives in a UK General Election.
In essence, she equates the SNP with broad Scottish opinion - and now with what she styles progressive opinion across the UK.  In effect, she then places Labour and SNP votes together in a collective anti-Conservative basket, while arguing that the SNP contribution to the mix is to strengthen the Scottish perspective.
As one conference speaker noted, the SNP aim at this election is to replace Labour in Scotland - and then be prepared to work with Labour in England.


Reports that the winners of Let It Shine - Five to Five - will not have as big a role in the upcoming musical The Band as many fans of the show had hoped, have been denied by the team behind the musical.

Let It Shine saw singers enter a talent competition to win the chance to perform as a group in an upcoming musical featuring Take That songs.
An official spokesperson for The Band musical has told Newsround that reports the boys will just be backing singers in the show are "simply not true."
At the end of February, boy band Five To Five dazzled the Let It Shine judges and went on to win the show.
In the final, it was announced the winners would get "the role of an all-singing, all-dancing boy band in a hot new musical called The Band".
When the Let It Shine result was announced, Gary Barlow said to the winners: "You will be on stage with this musical in September in Manchester, so see you there."
But reports started to spread that the group would actually only get to be 'backing singers' in the production.
"Any report that the band will be 'backing singers' has not come from any official source," the official spokesperson told Newsround.
Judge Gary Barlow has also taken to social media to dismiss the rumours, saying they are "utter rubbish".
Five to Five will be singing in 14 of Take That's songs as part of The Band.
But when asked whether or not the group would ever be singing or dancing completely on their own in the show, the team behind the show didn't comment.
They also wouldn't say if the boys would be speaking any lines or not.
"There are lots of exciting elements to the plot of the show and when we are finally able to unveil these, everything will make sense," they added.
Fans will have to wait until the beginning of April for more details about the musical and what will happen in it.


The recent appointment of a nationalist leader, Dmytro Yarosh, to a high military position in Ukraine has sparked controversy.

In Russia he has become a focus of accusations that "fascists" and extremists control the government in Kiev.
However, the nature of his duties, and the extent of his influence in the armed forces, remains to be seen.
Mr Yarosh is the head of Right Sector, which first burst to prominence as an ultra-nationalist umbrella organisation, battling riot police and helping man the barricades during anti-government protests last year.
After the February revolution, which brought a new pro-Western government to power, Right Sector morphed into a political party.
However, Mr Yarosh received less than 1% in presidential elections, and his party failed to pass a 5% barrier to enter parliament - though he himself was elected as a deputy.
From there, Right Sector created from its numbers one of the many volunteer battalions, fighting alongside regular government forces against Russian-supported insurgents in eastern Ukraine.
And now Mr Yarosh and his group have made yet another leap in legitimacy: Ukrainian officials announced at the weekend that the Right Sector leader would serve as an adviser to the army chief of staff, Viktor Muzhenko, acting as a liaison between the military and the volunteer battalions.
Russian media were quick to condemn the move. "Neo-Nazis are strengthening their positions," proclaimed Russia's state-owned Rossiya 1 TV. "Radical armed groups will become a separate assault brigade, led by Yarosh."
Russia accuses him of incitement to terrorism and at Russia's request he is listed as wanted by Interpol. He denies the charges.
The claim that Mr Yarosh comes from neo-Nazi ranks, or represents them, is a distortion.
"He is a nationalist - though there is a discussion, among experts, on whether labels like 'ultra-nationalism', 'fascism' or 'extreme right' should be applied to him," wrote Andreas Umland, an expert on the far right in Ukraine.
Mr Umland points out that Mr Yarosh, unlike many other far-right activists, defines nationality according to citizenship. That is, not just ethnic Ukrainians are considered to be, so to speak, "true Ukrainians", but Russians, Jews, Tartars or any other group living on Ukrainian territory.
That said, Mr Yarosh's political beliefs fall firmly to the right of the political spectrum.
"In the past, he has made critical statements about Western liberalism and European integration," Mr Umland said.
Mr Yarosh's appointment could simply be a bit of canny public relations: the promotion of a popular combat leader, one who received serious injuries in the battle of Donetsk airport and was subsequently photographed, bruised and bandaged in his hospital bed.
The big question is what his position portends for the future of the volunteer battalions, which previously operated free of direct government control. Now, however, Ukraine's leaders are making concerted efforts to limit their autonomy.
Right Sector was the last prominent battalion to resist joining a government structure. Now, officials said the group would "submit to the military leadership over questions of national defence."
That is also significant, given that it potentially removes Right Sector from under the influence of the Ukrainian billionaire, Ihor Kolomoisky.
Mr Kolomoisky showed himself willing to use armed groups in what appeared to be a power struggle last month with Kiev authorities.
But the extent of their subordination to the government could also be open to debate.
A Right Sector spokesman was quoted as saying that his organisation would now be funded by the defence ministry, but it would still remain operationally independent.
"Our combatants will be well-armed from now on, as up until now equipment was supplied by volunteers," said Artem Skoropadskiy, quoted by the AFP news agency.
Still, with Mr Yarosh now a part of the general staff - but crucially not in a deciding role - he and his fighters may now be subject to a degree of oversight. And the volunteer battalions in general may now be better controlled by those who, by law, should be in charge.


Children's Lego boxes may already contain yellow Batman, Harry Potter and Star Wars characters, but soon they will also contain female Nasa pioneers.

The Danish toy company is making a new set of five figurines, based on real female scientists, engineers and astronauts.
The design, created by US science writer Maia Weinstock, won the Lego Ideas competition.
The characters will be available in late 2017 or early 2018.
The design was picked by the company after receiving 10,000 public votes, which made it eligible for consideration.
Ms Weinstock said: "The reaction has been overwhelming. Messages of congratulations and excitement at the prospect of this set actually being on store shelves have been pouring in."
The five women portrayed are:
Ms Johnson was also a character in the recent, Oscar-nominated film Hidden Figures, which tells the story of female African-American mathematicians working at Nasa in the 1960s.
Lego Ideas spokeswoman Lise Dydensborg announced the result in a video message, accompanied by a drum roll.
She said the company was excited about the set.
"As a science editor and writer, with a strong personal interest for space exploration as well as the history of women in science and engineering, Maia Weinstock's Women of Nasa project was a way for her to celebrate accomplished women in the Stem professions," she said.
The so-called stem professions (science, technology, engineering and maths) are often male-dominated.
"I hope it sets a new example for both girls and boys," said Ms Weinstock. "Girls, in that they can and should be engineers, scientists, and mathematicians, and boys, in that they internalise at an early age that these careers are for everyone, not only men."
The Lego Ideas competition takes place twice a year, and one or two winners are selected for production.
Other contenders in the latest competition included Lego scenes from televisions shows The Addams Family and The Little House on the Prairie, a Lego Lamborghini and a Lego Large Hadron Collider.
One Lego fan, who runs Jay's Brick Blog, said the Nasa set was a worthy winner.
In a blog post, he said he was familiar with Margaret Hamilton's work but had to look up the other four women.
He continued, "Imagine this very scenario extended to young kids and parents taking the time to not only build this set with their kids, but to also explain who these women are and why their contributions were so important to space exploration and astronomy."
Margaret Hamilton was awarded the United States' highest civilian honour, the Presidential Medal of Freedom, last year.


A man has been jailed for 11 years after being convicted of a string of sexual offences against children in the 1980s.

Graham Butterworth, from Countesthorpe, was found guilty of 10 counts of indecent assault against two boys after a trial at Leicester Crown Court.
The boys were aged between 14 and 15 when the assaults took place, Leicestershire Police said.
Officers believe there may be more victims of the 70-year-old.
Investigatory support officer, Grace Clay, said Butterworth "befriended" the boys in the community before abusing them.
"I believe there could be more victims of Butterworth, and I would urge anyone who thinks they may have been abused by him to come forward," she said.


A sketch by pop star Boy George has sold for more in a charity auction than an original artwork by the Angel of the North creator Antony Gormley.

The singer's A5 ink drawing titled Loving The Alien fetched £4,300 in an eBay auction for the Gloucestershire hospice charity Longfield.
A new drawing called Reflection IV, 2016 donated by Mr Gormley sold for £2,700.
Hattie Allsop from the charity said the results had been "amazing".
About 200 artworks were listed in the The Big Heart auction to raise funds for the small Minchinhampton-based charity.
Many of the pieces were donated after an appeal by Los Angeles stylist Dave Thomas who grew up in Gloucester and whose aunt was looked after by the hospice.
Mr Thomas said: "(Boy George) did that back stage at the Hollywood Bowl when he was performing with the LA Philharmonic Orchestra so it is quite a special one."
A second painting by the former Culture Club singer called Old Punks Never Die, which he donated "in memory of Aunty Sue", sold for £2,251.
Other top sellers included a doodled self-portrait by Lionel Richie which attracted 38 bids and sold for £300 and a "limited edition" drawing of a sheep by David Cameron called Ewe Matter which raised £92
Ms Alsop said the auction had raised £15,000 for the charity but an LA buyer had offered another £4,300 if Boy George would replicate his pen and ink sketch.
"He's going to agree," she said.
"His stylist will be on to him."


Wild chimpanzees communicate using similar gestures to humans, according to a Stirling researcher.

Dr Anna Roberts said she had identified about 20 to 30 manual gestures used by chimps, up to a third of which were similar to those used by humans.
The chimps' gestures included beckoning to make someone approach or flailing their arms to make someone leave.
It is hoped the finding may help researchers understand how humans evolved language.
Dr Roberts studied chimpanzees in the wild in Uganda over an eight-month period.
She believes the gestures suggest that a common ancestor of humans and chimpanzees must have used similar manual gestures.
The Stirling University scientist said: "Chimpanzees use these gestures intentionally to elicit a desired response from other chimpanzees and they may be the missing link between ape and human communication.
"We now know that these gestures must have been in the repertoire of our common ancestor and might have been the starting point for language evolution."
The study found the animals used gestures to communicate a range of activities including nursing, feeding, sex, aggression and defence.
Dr Roberts also discovered that chimpanzees not only communicate using manual gestures, but are able to work out what the signaller means from both gesture and accompanying context.
She said: "The defining way that people understand communication with others is by figuring out what someone really means by 'mind-reading' their intentions and we have discovered that chimpanzees may have a similar ability."
Dr Roberts said the research showed that the basic elements for the evolution of language appeared to be present in our closest living relatives.


A sculpture of a miner with his heart torn out has been unveiled in a former East Durham pit village.

The nine-foot-tall "Marra" is intended to illustrate the demise of mining communities.
Bought for Â£19,000 by Horden Parish Council, it attracted interest from potential buyers around the region even before it was finished.
Artist Ray Lonsdale said he had been "dithering around" with the piece until his wife told him to "get on with it".
Horden Colliery, which closed in 1987, was one of the biggest mines in the country, employing more than 4,000 men at the height of its output. The seams mined at the pit extended out under the North Sea.
Lonsdale is also known for his Â£85,000 sculpture of a British soldier erected in Seaham last year to commemorate the outbreak of World War One.
He has previously said he was inspired by a news story about former prime minister Margaret Thatcher.
"There was a news report about how they were trying to raise a statue to Margaret Thatcher down in Westminster for all the good she did for the country and I thought, 'well, that's not the way it's seen up here'," he said.
Parish councillor June Clark said the sculpture - also known as "I Ain't Gonna Work On Maggie's Farm No More" - would "channel interest" into the area and encourage tourism.
"It's trying to use our heritage to look forward and to regenerate the place," she said.
Baroness Thatcher engendered strong feelings in the region, although Berwick conservative MP Anne-Marie Trevelyan has attributed her political awakening to the former prime minister.
She has said she "sparked something" in her 10-year-old self "which has never gone away".


Callum Camps set Rochdale up for a hard-fought win over League One leaders Burton Albion at a snowy Spotland.

Midfielder Camps picked up the ball 25 yards out before unleashing a rasping drive into the top corner to give the home side the lead.
Ian Henderson soon doubled Dale's advantage from the penalty spot after he was fouled by John Mousinho.
Lucas Akins' exquisite lob pulled one back for Burton, but Rochdale hung on to see out victory.
Burton Albion remain top of League One following Gillingham's defeat at Blackpool, while Rochdale move up to 14th.
Rochdale manager Keith Hill told BBC Radio Manchester:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"Two thirds of the performance was superb. I wanted to reassure myself and the players that there's no crisis at the football club.
"Progressively, I want to try and establish ourselves and take us close to being a Championship side.
"If we'd lost the game but performed like that, I would have been reasonably happy."
Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough told BBC Radio Derby:
Media playback is not supported on this device
"We stressed to the players after Tuesday night that this is Rochdale now. We knew what the pitch was going to be like. They've had a lot of rain up here. It was going to be a difficult game.
"They came off the back of a 6-1 defeat last week and it certainly makes them come out and fight a bit harder, but it was a strange first half.
"Jon McLaughlin has picked the ball out of the net twice and had nothing else to do."


The Brazilian authorities have announced plans to prevent the spread of the Zika virus during the Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games later this year.

An outbreak of the mosquito-borne disease - which is being linked to severe birth defects - has caused growing concern in Brazil and abroad.
Inspections of Olympic facilities will begin four months before the Games to get rid of mosquito breeding grounds.
Daily sweeps will also take place during the Games.
But fumigation would only be an option on a case-by-case basis because of concerns for the health of the athletes and visitors.
The Brazilian health ministry says it is also banking on the fact that the Games are taking place in the cooler, drier month of August when mosquitoes are far less evident and there are considerably fewer cases of mosquito-borne viruses.
A British Olympic Association spokesperson said that it would be monitoring the situation over the coming months and its medical team had been liaising with specialists at the London School of Tropical Medicine.
The aim is to ensure that team members are "given the most up-to-date travel medicine advice, which includes information on bite prevention strategies," the spokesperson said.
"This information has already been shared with all sports and it will be continually updated prior to departure for the Olympic Games."
The announcement by the Rio authorities comes amidst growing attention around the world over the large number of cases of Zika in the Americas.
Brazil has the largest-known outbreak of the virus which has been linked to a spike in birth defects in new-born babies whose mothers were bitten by the mosquito during pregnancy.
The US, Canada and EU health agencies have issued warnings saying pregnant women should avoid travelling to Brazil and other countries in the Americas which have registered cases of Zika.


A grandfather from Gwynedd died after being hit by a boat's propeller off the Maltese coast, an inquest has heard.

Allan Stanley, 76, of Nefyn, was snorkelling around the island of Gozo when he was hit on 19 June.
His widow Diane told the inquest in Caernarfon it happened in seconds. She said: "There wasn't enough time for me to shout or do anything."
A conclusion of accidental death was recorded by coroner Dewi Pritchard-Jones.
The inquest heard Mr Stanley was snorkelling in a bay when a rigid inflatable boat started up.
"A person snorkelling is very difficult to see," Mr Pritchard-Jones said.
"At best it's only part of the top of the head that can be seen.
"Whether the person operating the boat looked or made any efforts to see if anyone was in the water, I can't say."
Pathologist Dr Mark Lord told the inquest Mr Stanley suffered head injuries and his death was "likely to have been virtually instantaneous".


Ratings agency S&P has downgraded Greece's credit rating again, saying it expects its debt and other financial commitments will be "unsustainable".

It has dropped long and short-term sovereign credit ratings to CCC+/C from B-/B and says its outlook is negative.
Markets use sovereign ratings to work out the interest rate at which investors should lend to a country.
Official figures on Wednesday also showed Greece's deficit last year was higher than government forecasts.
The budget deficit - the difference between its revenue and spending - was 3.5% of GDP, compared with the prediction of 0.8%. The worsening finances of the government could see Greece's creditors pushing for further austerity, experts said.
Meanwhile, German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble warned that an agreement between Athens and its creditors was unlikely to happen any time soon.
"Until now, we don't have a solution, and I don't expect to get a solution in the next week," he said. Greece is meeting with its creditors in the Latvian capital, Riga, on 24 April.
The Syriza government is negotiating with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and its eurozone partners in an attempt to lessen the burden of its debt repayments. A â‚¬750m ($800m; Â£540m) payment is due on 12 May, but the government will struggle to make it.
Athens faces a "choice between paying the IMF or paying the wages and pensions of its employees", Raoul Ruparel, head of economic research at Open Europe, told the BBC.
"For a radical left-wing government such as Syriza, that is a very poisonous choice."
S&P said the Greek economy had shrunk by 1% in six months, despite the twin benefits of a lower oil price and a weak euro.
"Greece's solvency hinges increasingly on favourable business, financial, and economic conditions... In our view, these conditions have worsened.
"Without deep economic reform or further relief, we expect Greece's debt and other financial commitments will be unsustainable."
It added that government finances, which appeared to be improving slightly last year, had now been dented by weaker economic activity and rising arrears on taxes.
Since the end of November 2014, Greek banks have lost about 14% of their deposit base to customer withdrawals and deposit outflows have continued.
The conditions have been made worse by the uncertainty over the negotiations between Athens and its main creditors - the IMF, the European Commission and the European Central Bank.
S&P said that economic prospects could deteriorate further unless Greece reached a deal over the next â‚¬7.2bn tranche of its bailout loan.
But time is running out. The ratings agency said: "If the stalemate between Greece and its official lenders is not resolved before the middle of May, then there might not be enough time for the Greek parliament to enact whatever conditions are attached to a revised lending program."


At least 91 passengers on a cruise ship have been hit by a suspected case of norovirus, Australian authorities say.

The virus, a stomach bug, was detected on the first day of the Sun Princess cruise to the South Pacific, a statement by its parent company said.
Queensland state health authorities confirmed the cases after the ship berthed in Brisbane.
The Sun Princess was affected by two similar cases in February.
In the latest instance, passengers had boarded the ship for a 10-day cruise when they began reporting symptoms, Princess Cruises said.
"We have been advised that on-board testing has found norovirus to be the cause of the illness," a spokesperson for Queensland's Metro North Public Health Unit said.
Princess Cruises said it would conduct "deep cleansing" on the ship before it would depart again.
"Proactive and successful steps were taken on board Sun Princess to limit any spread of the illness," a spokesman said.
"The first case was reported on day one of the cruise suggesting the illness was introduced to the ship during embarkation in Brisbane."


Bradford stayed firmly in contention for a League One play-off spot as they edged to victory at struggling Oldham.

Two set-piece goals were enough to give the Bantams victory, with central defenders Romain Vincelot and Rory McCardle both finding the net either side of Brian Wilson's equaliser.
Oldham were punished for a defensive error after 14 minutes as they needlessly conceded a corner and, when Josh Cullen returned the ball from the right, Vincelot headed in from six yards.
Bradford could have doubled their lead, but home goalkeeper Connor Ripley made smart saves from Tony McMahon and Mark Marshall.
Oldham were level a minute before the break as full-back Wilson cut in from the right and hit an 18-yard shot which bobbled through the dive of goalkeeper Colin Doyle for his first league goal since November 2010.
Bradford had golden chances to score just after the break, only for Cullen and Jordy Hiwula to be thwarted by Ripley.
The visitors went close again when McCardle's far-post header was cleared off the line by Ollie Banks.
Ryan McLaughlin fired wide at the other end, but Bradford struck on 76 minutes as Oldham failed to clear a Billy Clarke free-kick and McCardle bundled in from close range.
Doyle made sure Bradford held on for maximum points with a late save from Latics substitute Billy McKay.
Report supplied by the Press Association.
Match ends, Oldham Athletic 1, Bradford City 2.
Second Half ends, Oldham Athletic 1, Bradford City 2.
Attempt saved. Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) header from the centre of the box is saved in the top centre of the goal.
Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Timothee Dieng (Bradford City).
Foul by Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic).
Josh Cullen (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Alex Jones (Bradford City) right footed shot from the right side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Foul by Michael Ngoo (Oldham Athletic).
Romain Vincelot (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Foul by Anthony Gerrard (Oldham Athletic).
Romain Vincelot (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the right wing.
Substitution, Bradford City. Alex Gilliead replaces Billy Clarke.
Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Michael Ngoo replaces Ryan McLaughlin.
Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Rob Hunt replaces Oliver Banks.
Foul by Ousmane Fane (Oldham Athletic).
Mark Marshall (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Attempt saved. Billy McKay (Oldham Athletic) left footed shot from the left side of the six yard box is saved in the top left corner.
Goal!  Oldham Athletic 1, Bradford City 2. Rory McArdle (Bradford City) right footed shot from very close range to the bottom left corner. Assisted by Romain Vincelot following a set piece situation.
Alex Jones (Bradford City) wins a free kick in the defensive half.
Foul by Anthony Gerrard (Oldham Athletic).
Attempt missed. Billy Clarke (Bradford City) left footed shot from long range on the right is too high.
Delay in match Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic) because of an injury.
Substitution, Bradford City. Alex Jones replaces Jordy Hiwula-Mayifuila.
Attempt missed. Ryan McLaughlin (Oldham Athletic) right footed shot from the centre of the box misses to the right.
Corner,  Bradford City. Conceded by Peter Clarke.
Attempt missed. Rory McArdle (Bradford City) header from the right side of the six yard box is close, but misses to the left following a corner.
Corner,  Bradford City. Conceded by Paul Green.
Foul by Peter Clarke (Oldham Athletic).
Mark Marshall (Bradford City) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Substitution, Oldham Athletic. Billy McKay replaces Ryan Flynn.
Oliver Banks (Oldham Athletic) is shown the yellow card.
Oliver Banks (Oldham Athletic) has gone down, but that's a dive.
Attempt saved. Ryan McLaughlin (Oldham Athletic) right footed shot from the left side of the box is saved in the centre of the goal.
Ousmane Fane (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick in the attacking half.
Foul by Nicky Law (Bradford City).
Corner,  Bradford City. Conceded by Peter Clarke.
Attempt saved. Josh Cullen (Bradford City) right footed shot from a difficult angle on the left is saved in the bottom left corner.
Ryan McLaughlin (Oldham Athletic) wins a free kick on the left wing.
Foul by Tony McMahon (Bradford City).


Stevenage have signed Maidstone United centre-back Kevin Lokko for an undisclosed fee.

An offer made for the 21-year-old by the League Two side was enough to trigger a release clause in his contract with the National League club.
The ex-Norwich academy player featured 46 times for Maidstone last term.
Lokko, an England C international, is yet to play in the English Football League, despite spending a season with Colchester after leaving the Canaries.
Find all the latest football transfers on our dedicated page.


The president of the European Commission, Jose Manuel Barroso, has set out a plan designed to bring an end to the eurozone debt crisis.

In a speech, Mr Barroso said banks must set aside more assets to help guard against future losses.
Banks supported by the eurozone bailout fund - the European Financial Stability Facility - should be stopped from paying dividends or bonuses, he said.
The commission called it a "comprehensive response" to the crisis.
It outlined five areas of action "designed to break the vicious circle between doubts over the sustainability of sovereign debt, the stability of the banking system and the European Union's growth prospects".
Mr Barroso said the plan "charts Europe's way out of the economic crisis".
"Reactive and piecemeal responses to different aspects of the crisis are no longer sufficient," he said.
By Robert PestonBusiness editor, BBC News
Read more from Robert
The plan calls for five policy actions:
By Andrew WalkerEconomics correspondent, BBC World Service
The proposals set out by the European Commission chief follow a commitment from the French and German leaders to produce a plan for the crisis by the end of the month.
One key element is strengthening the banks. Under the proposals, many of them would have to raise new capital to improve confidence that they could cope with any losses on problem loans. If they can't raise it privately, it would have to come from governments or the European bailout facility.
There has been a welcome in financial markets for Mr Barroso's plan. But it does have risks. In particular, throwing more public money at the problem, for example at the banks, could put further strain on the finances of some governments, notably France.
And it needs more detail and acceptance by eurozone leaders. They in turn will struggle to sell these ideas to voters who are weary of austerity and bailouts for banks and governments.
Late on Tuesday, Slovakia voted against increasing the powers of the EFSF - the only one of the 17 members of the eurozone to do so.
However, internal political wrangling was behind the no vote, and observers expect a fresh vote before the end of this week.
In addition to expanding the EFSF's powers, the measures agreed in July by eurozone leaders also included private lenders taking a 21% hit on loans to the Greek government.
However, investors now believe both these measures are inadequate. They are calling for the bailout fund to be increased towards 2 trillion euros, and believe private investors will be forced to take a much bigger hit than the 21% suggested.
The leaders also agreed in July to a second bailout package for Greece worth 109bn euros.
The commission, along with the International Monetary Fund and the European Central Bank, has been in Athens deciding whether to release the latest tranche of funds from the first bailout agreed in 2010.
On Tuesday, the three bodies agreed measures that Greece needs to take to bring down its debt levels and said they were likely to release the 8bn euros that country needs to pay its bills.
Leaders have been heavily criticised, particularly by investors, for not taking decisive action to end the crisis.
However, there is feeling now that such action will be forthcoming, analysts say, with all eyes on a summit of EU leaders on 23 October and a G20 meeting in Cannes at the beginning of November.


British and Irish Lions assistant coach Graham Rowntree says Warren Gatland, Cardiff Blues and tour captain Sam Warburton must decide whether the player should play on Friday.

Warburton has not played since injuring a knee against Ulster on 7 April.
Blues go to Stade Francais on Friday in their European Champions Cup semi-final qualifier.
"That is a bigger picture decision for Sam and the Blues and Warren," said Rowntree.
The Lions' first training camp is being held at Wales' training base.
Rowntree added: "He looked pretty fit to me this (Monday) morning."
He does not foresee any doubt over Warburton's fitness to play in the Lions' tour opener against New Zealand Provincial Barbarians on 3 June.
"I don't think there will be any trouble with him playing, certainly, the first game on tour, but as I keep saying, we are managing him coming back from injury," said Rowntree.
If Blues beat Stade Francais, they will go on to meet the winner of Northampton v Connacht for the chance to play in Europe's top tier in 2017-18.
Almost two-thirds of the 41-man Lions squad are currently with their clubs, regions and provinces ahead of Aviva Premiership, Guinness PRO12 and Champions Cup play-offs next weekend.
But Rowntree was delighted with the work done on day one in camp at Wales' training base in the Vale of Glamorgan.
"We've got 14 guys here," he said.
"Other guys are away in other competitions, which is great, because we want them on the plane going to New Zealand battle-hardened, playing in finals, preferably.
"We knew we would be missing a few guys in camp one. We knew what was coming, and we have catered for that."


An "award winning" team of business consultants linked to a series of failed multimillion-pound NHS deals is to be scrapped.

The Strategic Projects Team, which boasts of delivering "over £6bn of major projects," was set up to deliver the first franchise-run NHS Hospital.
NHS England has now raised "real concerns" about its work, saying the unit will be "closed down".
The team (SPT) says it intends to "eventually" complete the projects.
Formed in 2009, it has previously worked on huge contracts like the Hinchingbrooke Hospital franchise - the first deal of its kind - and the five-year £800m UnitingCare contract for older people's service in Cambridgeshire.
The unit, which currently sits under the control of the Arden & Greater East Midlands Commissioning Support Unit (CSU), also worked on the NHS Friends and Family Test, a patient ratings system aimed at improving nursing care.
It has previously been honoured for its work at the Independent Healthcare Awards and HealthInvestor Awards.
What happened to SPT's major projects:
* Hinchingbrooke Hospital, Huntingdon:
What the SPT says: Hinchingbrooke was "the first ever franchise of an NHS Hospital" and the SPT's "dedicated communications team provided in-depth support"
What happened: Circle withdrew from the project three years into a ten year contract, saying the franchise was "no longer viable". The decision came after the Care Quality Commission placed the hospital in special measures.
* UnitingCare:
What they say: The SPT was one of a number of suppliers supporting the "innovative" project - a tender worth up to £800m over five years. Following the collapse of the scheme, the SPT said it had completed a "successful association" with UnitingCare, adding "while there may inevitably be some learning from a future inquiry... we remain proud of the contribution we made to yet another ground breaking piece of work"
What happened: The contract collapsed after just eight months after UnitingCare said it was not "financially sustainable"
* George Elliot Hospital, Nuneaton
What they say: The SPT "delivered an exemplary service" during a complex procurement process, providing "hard work, diligence and strategic insight"
What happened: Following significant improvements in clinical performance, the decision was made not to pursue the procurement process
* Weston Hospital, Weston-super-Mare
What they say: The SPT will "lead activities" to "achieve a sustainable future and reach Foundation Trust status"
What happened: A deal which would have seen Weston taken over by the neighbouring Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust was dropped as it "did not represent a sustainable future"
* The Pathology Partnership
What they say: The SPT became involved in the East of England pathology network in 2010 to "prepare the ground for change"
What happened: Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation Trust "intends to withdraw" from the partnership over the next 12 months
* Staffordshire cancer and end of life contracts
What they say: The SPT is working with CCGs "to transform the way people with cancer, and those at the end of their life are cared for and supported". The project has been awarded NHS Pioneer status
What happened: The project has been put on hold pending the outcome "of the independent review" into UnitingCare
The Hinchingbrooke deal collapsed when Circle pulled out of its 10-year contract in January 2015 - just three years after it began.
Following the launch of a series of reviews into the failings at UnitingCare, other projects involving the SPT were put on hold.
These reviews have now led to the SPT being scrapped.
Analysis by Tom Barton, Political Reporter, BBC Look East
The Strategic Projects Team was at the heart of negotiating a number of flagship NHS contracts. The appointment of private provider Circle Health to run Hinchingbrooke Hospital is the most famous - while the £800m UnitingCare contract to deliver healthcare for older people in Cambridgeshire was the biggest. Both of these fell apart - and a number of other projects collapsed or were abandoned at various stages.
On their website, the SPT says it "supports projects which are often complex, hugely challenging and require a relentless work ethic".
So have some of the projects have been too complex and challenging - or has the support not been good enough? NHS England are clear that they have "real concerns" about the work done.
The other big question is whether the demise of the SPT suggests the NHS in England is losing enthusiasm for big outsourcing projects like Hinchingbrooke and UnitingCare.
I'm told no ministers were involved in the decision to close the unit - so there hasn't been a change in government policy. But given the involvement of the SPT in so many of the biggest contracts - who inside the NHS now has the experience to carry on their work in the future?
A senior manager inside one collapsed SPT project said his main issue had been "their total refusal to acknowledge reality".
They "stuck doggedly to rules" and a "silly" timetable, meaning "honest discussions couldn't take place until too late".
"Any fool could've seen from the start that the competing regulatory requirements meant the project was doomed," he added.
"Had the SPT been willing to listen we could've found a much better solution."
Last week, an investigation into UnitingCare by the National Audit Office (NAO) criticised the planning and lack of data setting out the true cost of the service.
The report said the SPT, which was paid £292,700, failed to include advice on the need to secure performance guarantees in the text of its evaluation of the contract. As a result, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) had not sought such a guarantee.
Speaking at the time, Cambridge MP Daniel Zeichner said the report was "particularly critical" of the SPT, which he called "the outriders for NHS privatisation".
The failing is also noted in the CCG's own report on the way the contracts were handled.
An NHS England review into UnitingCare, published in April, said the SPT had been retained to assist the CCG "in ensuring success with the process," but that a "number of flaws" were identified.
A second NHS England review is expected to take a closer look at the role of the SPT and other contractors. This is yet to be published.
A spokesman for NHS England said: "In the light of recent NAO and NHS England investigations we have real concerns about the work of the Strategic Projects Team, which as a result is going to be closed down as an offshoot of the Arden and GEM CSU."
The SPT's managing director Andrew MacPherson, said the unit had been "seeking an alternative host" since September.
He said the end of the UnitingCare contract had created "some anxiety" with the SPT "concerned we were becoming the story".
He added the team intends to ensure existing commitments are "fully discharged to completion" and its expertise is properly redistributed.


Gold medal-winning golfers at the Olympic Games in Rio will win exemptions to next year's majors.

It means the men's winner this summer will win entry to next year's Masters, US Open, Open and US PGA Championship.
Exemptions for the 2016 Evian Championship and next year's ANA Inspiration, Women's PGA Championship, US Women's Open and Women's Open will be given to the winning woman.
Golf is returning to the Olympics in August for the first time in 112 years.
Masters chairman Billy Payne told a news conference at Augusta National: "We believe our game's visibility will be dramatically elevated by the global platform that only the Olympics offer.
"From this greater visibility, we believe will evolve greater participation in our game, and it will be a certain beneficiary."
While some of the world's top players would already hold exemptions to the majors, Pete Bevacqua, the chief executive officer of the PGA of America, said: "From our perspective, whether it's someone that is in the top rankings of the world or someone who is that Cinderella story, in both ways it's a positive."
Exemptions for major tournaments can be achieved in a variety of ways, such as being a previous winner, while world rankings can also play a part.


Taoiseach (Irish Prime Minister) Enda Kenny has met families of civilians who were killed by soldiers in Belfast over a three-day period in 1971.

The shootings, in which 10 people were killed, took place in Ballymurphy as the government introduced internment - imprisonment without trial.
The families met Mr Kenny as part of their campaign for justice.
Speaking after he said: "There is a sense of injustice among this community that needs to be dealt with."
"It's as raw as can be," he added.
Mr Kenny said there were a number of options to address the issues, including a "Hillsborough-type investigation", a coroner's inquest, an all-party motion in the DÃ¡il (Irish parliament) and legislation arising from the Stormont House Agreement.
John Teggart, whose father Daniel was killed in the shootings, said: "It is good that he (Mr Kenny) has shown the way forward. This is the way a government should deal with the past."
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey, who also attended the meeting, said it had been "very useful".
On Thursday, Mr Kenny met the families of 10 Protestant men murdered by the IRA at Kingsmills, County Armagh, in 1976.
After that meeting, the taoiseach said his government would do all it could to ensure information it had on atrocities committed during the Troubles was passed on so those responsible could be brought to justice.
Mr Kenny has held meetings with both the Ballymurphy and Kingsmills campaign groups before in Dublin, but this is the first time he has met the families in Northern Ireland.
In January 2014, the taoiseach supported the Ballymurphy families call for an independent inquiry to be established into the Army killings, and told the relatives he would raise the matter with British Prime Minister David Cameron.
Ten people were shot dead in the area in the three days after internment was introduced, in what the bereaved families refer to as the Ballymurphy Massacre.
A priest and a mother of eight were among the civilians killed by the Parachute Regiment.
An 11th person died of a heart attack after a confrontation involving a soldier.
The Ballymurphy meeting is the latest in a series of engagements in Northern Ireland.
On Thursday evening, the Kingsmills relatives said Mr Kenny had given them an undertaking that the Irish government would cooperate fully with the Northern Ireland coroner's inquests into their loved ones' murders.
The inquests are due to open later this year and concerns have been raised about delays in handing over information to the coroner.
Ulster Unionist MLA Danny Kennedy, a long-time supporter of the Kingsmills campaign, welcomed the taoiseach's assurances as "significant progress".


Striker Nouha Dicko has signed a new deal which will keep him at Championship club Wolves until 2020.

The 24-year-old Mali international missed most of last season with a cruciate ligament injury, but has played 19 matches this term.
Head coach Paul Lambert told the club website: "He has been great since I have been here having come back from a long-term injury.
"And he is still only a young guy. He has his whole career in front of him."
Dicko scored 15 goals in 40 appearances for Wolves in the 2014-15 season, but his injury lay-off meant he played just six matches last season.
His only two goals so far this term came in the EFL Trophy victory over Crewe in October.
Lambert added: "Players like Nouha are really difficult to find, with such genuine speed.
"He is a major threat to opposition defenders with his pace and now I think he just needs to get a goal under his belt."


A town best known for its airport, Vauxhall vans, and as the home of Bake Off winner Nadiya Hussain, was the UK's property hotspot last year, according to the UK's largest mortgage lender.

Luton saw house prices rise 19.4% in 2016, the Halifax said.
Annual house price inflation ticked up again last month across the UK, the lender said, with prices rising by 6.5% in the year to the end of December.
That was up from a rate of 6.0% in November and 5.2% in October.
Between March and October 2016, inflation had been easing.
The latest increase leaves the average UK house price at Â£222,484, according to the Halifax, another record level.
"House prices finished 2016 strongly," said Martin Ellis, Halifax chief economist.
However, he said house price inflation was expected to cool in 2017, to between 1% and 4%.
"Slower economic growth, pressure on employment and a squeeze on spending power, together with affordability constraints, are expected to reduce housing demand during 2017," Mr Ellis said.
Earlier this month the Nationwide said that house prices increased by 4.5% in 2016, the same rate as 2015.
The average house in Luton increased in price by Â£41,700 during 2016, to Â£256,636.
The Halifax said the main reason was that the town is within easy commuting distance of London, but still has relatively low property prices.
Dunstable, a few miles away, saw prices rise by 17.9% during the year.
Where can I afford to live?
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Greece cannot make a repayment to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) due on 5 June as it does not have the money, the interior minister says.

"The four instalments for the IMF in June are €1.6bn, this money will not be given and is not there to be given," Nikos Voutsis told Greek TV.
Greece has to come to a deal with the IMF and EU to secure the final tranche of its bailout from the institutions.
The finance minister meanwhile told the BBC that progress was being made.
Yanis Varoufakis said Greece had worked hard to meet its end of the deal with its lenders, and that now it was up to the international institutions to reciprocate.
"Greece has made enormous strides at reaching a deal," he told the Andrew Marr Show.
"It is now up to institutions to do their bit. We have met them three-quarters of the way, they need to meet us one-quarter of the way."
Analysis: Joe Lynam, BBC business correspondent
The Greek interior minister Nikos Voutsis is "of the far left" in a hard left-wing Syriza party but should not be disregarded as on the fringe, or irrelevant, within the government.
He is one of a number of different voices around the cabinet table with varying degrees of influence. So his comments that Greece cannot and will not pay the IMF €1.6bn next month should not be fully discounted.
There is a theory that the Prime minister Alexis Tsipras allows his ministers to let off steam in interviews in order to give him leverage when negotiating with creditors in Brussels or Berlin.
It is also true that the Greek Finance Minister Varoufakis has been sidelined by Athens.  All areas of discussion with the troika (EC, ECB and IMF), must be agreed by Mr Tsipras personally.
The Greek government, EU and IMF have been locked in negotiations for four months over economic reforms the IMF and EU say must be implemented before more money is made available.
Greece's last cash injection from its international creditors was in August and the final €7.2bn instalment from its two €240bn EU-IMF bailouts is now seen as vital.
But first it has to meet the 5 June repayment deadline. If it fails to come to a deal with its partners, there is a fear it could default on its loans.
€320bn
Greece's debt mountain
€240bn
European bailout
€56bn Greece owes Germany
177% country's debt-to-GDP ratio
25% fall in GDP since 2010
26% Greek unemployment rate
That could push the Greek government towards leaving the single currency, otherwise known as Grexit.
"It would be a disaster for everyone involved," said Mr Varoufakis
"It would be a disaster primarily for the Greek social economy, but it would also be the beginning of the end of the common currency project in Europe.
"Once you infuse into people's minds, into investors' minds, the idea that the euro is not indivisible, it will be only a matter of time before the whole thing begins to unravel."
Greece has been shut out of bond markets, and with the current deadlock Athens has been struggling  to meet debt obligations and to pay public sector wages and pensions.


Labour's deputy leader is urging a ban on male-only sports clubs, saying it is embarrassing the UK's most prestigious golf tournament is happening at a club that does not admit female members.

Muirfield, which is staging the Open Championship, is among a number of UK golf courses which only men can join.
Several leading politicians have refused to attend the event in protest.
But Harriet Harman said ministers must go further and amend equality laws to stop "discrimination" by private clubs.
Scottish First Minister Alex Salmond and Culture Secretary Maria Miller are among those effectively boycotting the four-day tournament in East Lothian, which began on Thursday.
The row comes amid a wider debate over sexism in sport following comments made by BBC presenter John Inverdale about the appearance of Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli and calls from Mrs Miller for the broadcaster to take more action on the issue.
Ms Harman said staying away from one of the year's most high-profile sports events was a "symbolic gesture" and ministers should do "more than that" and change the law.
She urged ministers to close a "loophole" in the 2010 Equality Act, legislation which she piloted through Parliament, which strengthened protections against discrimination on the basis of gender, age, race and sexual orientation.
But the legislation permitted private associations, such as golf clubs, to continue to determine their own membership rules.
Describing the legislation as "incomplete" and "unfinished business", she said Labour would support the government if it decided to bring forward new proposals to ensure women had equal access to all institutions.
"Let's not have pressure and gestures, let's absolutely do something about it," she told the BBC News Channel.
"If you know it is anachronistic, out of date and it discriminates against women, you can actually amend the Equality Act to make sure that does not happen and we will give that backing."
Both David Cameron and Nick Clegg have said they do not support institutions whose membership is restricted on gender grounds.
Mr Cameron has reportedly given up his membership of White's, one of the oldest and most prestigious gentleman's clubs in London, which does not admit women. The PM's late father Ian was the club's chairman.
But asked whether the prime minister would support a ban on male-only clubs, a No 10 spokesman said "I don't think we are looking at going down that road".
Mr Clegg said such institutions were "out of step with everything else that's happening in the rest of society" but he favoured the clubs acting voluntarily rather than passing new laws to impose changes.
"It just seems so old fashioned and so anachronistic to just have a golf club saying that just because you are a woman you can't be a member of that club," he said during his weekly phone-in on LBC Radio.
"I think many people will just shake their head and say how on earth is this still possible in this day and age?"
But the UK Independence Party said half of the single-sex golf clubs in the UK admitted only female members and accused Mrs Miller and Mr Salmond of "political grandstanding".
Muirfield is one of a number of regular Open venues which do not admit women as members, although they can play the course.
The R&A, which organises the tournament, said just 1% of the UK's 3,000 golf clubs have a single sex membership policy.
Peter Dawson, the body's chief executive, has said the practice is "perfectly legal" but acknowledged the existence of male-only golf clubs is becoming "increasingly difficult" and "divisive".
Augusta, which hosts the US Masters, admitted its first female members last year after years of pressure to do so.


Servicemen and women from all branches of the Armed Forces are being honoured across Wales.

Armed Forces Day, now in its ninth year, aims to give people the chance to thank people serving for their work.
First Minister Carwyn Jones and Welsh Secretary Alun Cairns attended the Caerphilly event which included a Spitfire flypast.
Events also took place in Swansea, and a service and parade in Wrexham.
Chief of defence staff Sir Stuart Peach said: "The day is a chance for people to say thank you to the extraordinary men and women, stationed across the globe, who dedicate their lives to defending their country and keeping British people safe."
At present, armed forces are involved in more than 20 operations in more than 25 countries across the world.
Armed Forces Day also recognises the work done by reservists and cadets.
In Wrexham, a parade led by the Royal Welsh Band left Hightown Barracks for the town centre and a service was held at the parish church.
The Armed Forces Day flag were flown on Ceredigion County Council buildings on Saturday.
And an all-day event was held at Swansea's Castle Square.
A parachute display in Caerphilly had to be cancelled due to cloudy weather.
North Wales Armed Forces Day event was held in Caernarfon last weekend.
The 10th Armed Forces Day national event in 2018 will take place in Llandudno, Conwy county, Defence Minister Earl Howe has announced.
He said: "Llandudno represents a superb venue for next year's celebrations and I'm sure the town will bring together the whole nation in celebrating our Armed Forces.
"Wales was the proud host of the national event in 2010 when thousands of people celebrated in Cardiff.
"The support from the Welsh Government and local communities, coupled with the rich and vibrant history of Llandudno, means that the town is the ideal choice to make the event even more successful in 2018."


Eleven people were killed when militants attacked a prison in the Democratic Republic of Congo and freed more than 900 inmates, officials say.

The governor of North Kivu province said the attackers had used heavy weapons in the raid on the jail in Beni.
At least eight of the dead are prison guards, Julien Paluku added. A curfew has been declared.
The identity of the attackers is not yet clear.
Local activist Teddy Kataliko said many self-defence militias, known as Mai-Mai groups, operated around Beni.
DR Congo has been in crisis since President Joseph Kabila refused to step down after his term ended last year.
The incident in Beni is the latest in a series of jailbreaks in the country.
Last month about 4,000 inmates escaped from a high security prison in the capital Kinshasa following an attack blamed on a separatist sect.


A man charged with killing his mother's boyfriend at a holiday park called it a tragic accident, a court has heard.

Jamie Mitchell, 35, of Apple Close, Poole, is on trial for manslaughter over the death of Kenneth Dickie, 64, last year.
Winchester Crown Court heard Mr Dickie died in hospital six days after being found with a serious head injury at Rockley Park in Poole in May.
Jurors were told Mr Dickie's death was "utterly unnecessary".
Mr Mitchell has pleaded guilty to common assault and intent to pervert the course of justice but denies manslaughter.
His mother, Samantha Mitchell, 58, of Apple Close, Poole, also appeared in court and changed her plea to guilty of perverting the course of justice.
She will be sentenced at a later date.
Prosecuting, Charles Gabb told the jury Ms Mitchell and Mr Dickie had been in a relationship for several years and were going through a "down phase" when Mr Mitchell visited his mother at the park on 7 May.
In the evening, Mr Mitchell accompanied his mother and Mr Dickie to the holiday park bar and got "tanked up" on alcohol.
The two men had a confrontation outside and were separated by members of the public.
Minutes later, a witness found Mr Dickie lying on the ground with a head injury.
Mr Gabb said Ms Mitchell told witnesses she was the one who had pushed Mr Dickie.
But the court heard that after his third interview, Mr Mitchell told police he had seen his mother and Mr Dickie arguing and had tried to push them apart, causing Mr Dickie to fall to the ground and hit his head on the pavement.
Mr Mitchell said it was a "tragic accident", the court heard.
Mr Dickie died in hospital on 14 May.
The trial continues.


France's team of Raphael Jacquelin, Alex Levy, Gregory Havret and Romain Wattel set a new world record of 34.8 seconds to complete a 500-yard hole as a relay.

17 April 2016 Last updated at 09:51 BST
Take a look at how they did it.
Pictures courtesy of European Tour.


Crystal Palace take on Manchester United at Wembley on Saturday in a repeat of the 1990 FA Cup final.

But if you could step into the shoes of managers Alan Pardew or Louis van Gaal, who would you pick as both teams look to end the season with silverware?
Who do Palace play in the place of injured midfielder Joe Ledley? Phil Jones is finally fit - would you find a place for him in the United XI?
Decisions, decisions - but now you can decide using our brand new team selector.
And after you've done that you can share them with your friends or post them on your social media accounts.
It couldn't be easier - and you never know, Alan or Louis might just be reading.
Who do you think should start the FA Cup final? Step into Alan Pardew's shoes and pick your XI - and then share it with your friends using our brand new team selector.
Who do you think should start the FA Cup final? Step into Louis van Gaal's shoes and pick your XI - and then share it with your friends using our brand new team selector.


Thousands of lawyers opposed to legal aid cuts in England and Wales have staged their second walkout this year.

The Criminal Bar Association (CBA) called the cuts "crippling" ahead of the action, which was set to affect many trials on Friday.
The government is pressing ahead with fee cuts for barristers and solicitors in an effort to save £220m from the £2bn annual cost of legal aid.
It has said reform of the "expensive" system is vital in austere times.
Thousands of criminal case lawyers staged a first walkout in January, causing widespread disruption.
On Friday, barristers did not attend proceedings at major crown courts in cities including London, Manchester, Birmingham and Liverpool Hundreds of lawyers marched to Westminster in protest.
By Clive ColemanLegal correspondent, BBC News
In addition to today's "strike" barristers are escalating their industrial action by refusing to accept so-called "returned briefs" in criminal cases for up to a month.
This is likely to have a significant impact.
The length of criminal cases cannot always be accurately predicted.  If one takes longer than expected then the barrister concerned cannot do the next case he or she was due to do.
That is a fairly frequent occurrence;  the brief is returned to another barrister who will take it.
Accepting "returns" is a critical means of oiling the wheels of the criminal justice system and keeping it running smoothly.  It will not happen in the majority of instances over the next month.
It will affect pre-trial case management hearings, as well as trials and sentencing hearings.
Attitudes are hardening in this increasingly bitter dispute between the legal profession and the government.
They were addressed by speakers including Janis Sharp, whose son Gary McKinnon narrowly avoided extradition to the US, Blur drummer turned solicitor Dave Rowntree, and Paddy Hill, one of the Birmingham Six.
Ms Sharp said: "I'm down here because my son Gary McKinnon was fighting extradition for 10 years and without legal aid he wouldn't be here and without legal aid he would be dead."
Banners included ones reading "Access to Justice RIP" and "Save Legal Aid".
At the Old Bailey, only five out of 18 criminal courts were sitting. High-profile trials included that of the man accused of killing PC Keith Blakelock, a charge he denies.
BBC legal correspondent Clive Coleman said Friday's protest was an escalation of January's action.
Barristers and solicitors are not calling it a strike, but that is how it will be seen, our correspondent added.
Of the roughly £2bn legal aid bill to taxpayers every year, half goes on criminal defence and the rest on civil cases.
Government proposals - being phased in from April - to cut that by £220m include cutting fees in complex, high-cost cases by 30%, and in other crown court work by up to 18%.
The CBA and the London Criminal Courts Solicitors Association (LCCSA) say the fee cuts are financially unnecessary and will cause significant damage to the criminal justice system by driving skilled and experienced lawyers away from publicly-funded criminal work.
LCCSA president Nicola Hill said the cuts would mean hundreds of law firms would "rapidly go to the wall", and others would sack experienced solicitors and replace them with "unqualified and cheap" ones.
She added: "It's the ordinary people, those we don't hear about, who don't make the headlines, who will have to accept third-rate advice."
The CBA's Nigel Lithman QC said: "If these cuts are not addressed, then the British justice system, which is held in such high esteem around the world, will cease to exist as we know it and the British public can no longer expect true justice to be delivered."
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The effect will be crippling. It means people of social diversity will not be able to come to the Bar, will not be able to go into criminal law."
He added that the effect of payment cuts to solicitors would mean "one third of them will go out of business and people coming from university will simply choose not to go into the criminal justice system because they won't be able to afford to".
A spokeswoman for the Ministry of Justice (MoJ) said that at about £2bn, England and Wales had "one of the most expensive" legal aid systems in the world.
"As everybody knows, this government is dealing with an unprecedented financial challenge and the MoJ has no choice but to significantly reduce the amount of money it spends every year," she added.
"We have spoken at length over the past year with solicitors and barristers about the reforms and our final plans reflect many of the changes they asked for.
"It does mean fee reductions, but it also includes a series of measures to ease their effect on lawyers."
She said the plans represented an average 2% reduction for barristers at the lower end of the fee income scale and an average of 6% "more generally".
The CBA said many junior barristers faced rates as low as £20 a day, once the hours of preparation, time in court and chambers' fees were factored in, as well as receiving no holiday pay, no pension provision and no sickness or maternity benefits.


Meet Britain's brightest sporting stars of the present and future.

The achievements of these 10 athletes have earned them a place on the shortlist for the BBC Young Sports Personality of the Year 2016.
One of these teenagers will follow in the footsteps of past winners Ellie Simmonds, Wayne Rooney, Amber Hill, Tom Daley and Andy Murray.
The top three, chosen by an expert panel, will be named on Blue Peter on Thursday, 8 December.
Last year's winner Ellie Downie has had another phenomenal year, joining Tinkler and her older sister Becky in the GB Gymnastics team at the Rio Olympics.
Ellie qualified for the all-around final, finishing in 13th place in what was arguably the most competitive all-around final in Olympic history.
The 16-year-old also dominated at the 2016 Osijek World Challenge Cup event in Croatia taking four golds in four apparatus finals.
Sophie Ecclestone became the third youngest female to be selected for full England honours, earning a place in England Women's T20 and ODI squads.
The 17-year-old was part of the series-winning ladies' team in the West Indies and is a key member of the Lancashire Thunder's Women's Super League team.
In Keelan Giles' first four games for Pro 12 side Ospreys, he scored eight tries including a hat-trick away to Lyon in the European Challenge Cup.
Ospreys coach Steve Tandy has described the 18-year-old as an "unbelievable finisher" and he has been compared to Wales' record try scorer Shane Williams.
Keelan was called up to train with Rob Howley's senior Wales squad ahead of the autumn internationals and was one of the stars of Wales' U20s Grand Slam campaign during the Six Nations.
Tom Hamer won two silvers (200m S14 freestyle and S14 individual medley) at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, setting British records in both events.
The 18-year-old also took gold in the 200m freestyle at the IPC European Championships, setting a new British record of 1.57.27.
Swimmer Ellie Robinson broke the Paralympic record to win gold in the 50m butterfly at the Rio Games.
The 15-year-old also won bronze in the 100m freestyle, breaking a British record in the process and has been described as a "great role model to both able-bodied and para-athletes".
Earlier in the year, at the IPC European Championships, she brought back one silver (50m butterfly) and three bronze medals (50m, 100m and 400m freestyle).
Lauren Rowles, 18, picked up a gold medal at the Rio Paralympic Games, in the trunk-and-arms mixed double sculls, with partner Laurence Whiteley, recording a world best time in the process.
Lauren only took up rowing two years ago after competing at the Commonwealth Games in athletics in 2014.
She has had to balance training with taking her A levels and was successful in gaining a place at Oxford Brookes University.
Georgia Stanway, 17, has had an outstanding breakthrough season for Manchester City Women, making nine appearances and scoring four goals - helping the team to their first FA Women's Super League title, as well as securing the Continental Cup.
Georgia was England's top scorer during the U17 Women's World Cup, with three goals in four games as they reached the quarter finals.
She also played every minute of England's games at the Uefa Women's U17 Championship finals, scoring two goals and making one assist.
Sixteen-year-old Jess Stretton won individual gold in the Q1 archery at the Rio Paralympic Games.
As the youngest competitor in the archery event she set a new Paralympic record, with compatriots Jo Frith and Vicky Jenkins taking silver and bronze position to make it a clean sweep for Great Britain.
She also claimed silver at the Fazaa International Para Championships, breaking a world record in an earlier round.
Rebekah Tiler won three bronzes (overall bronze, as well as individual medals in the snatch - with a best of 99kg and 123kg in the clean and jerk) at the European Weightlifting Championships in April, boosting her hopes of Olympic selection.
The 17-year-old went on to compete at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games as Team GB's only female weightlifter, finishing in 10th place.
Sixteen-year-old Amy Tinkler gave the performance of her life to take bronze on the floor at the Rio 2016 Olympics, becoming the first female British gymnast to medal in the event.
She was the youngest member of Team GB in Rio, and only the second British woman to win an individual artistic gymnastics medal, after Beth Tweddle's bronze in the uneven bars in 2012.
Amy also retained her floor title at the British Championships, winning gold for the second year in a row.
This award goes to the outstanding young sportsperson aged 17 or under on 1 January 2016, selected from nominations made to the BBC and by sports governing bodies via the Youth Sport Trust. Nominations closed on 11 November 2016.
The Young Sports Personality of the Year award will be determined by the following panel:
·John Inverdale (chair)
·Radzi Chinyanganya (Blue Peter presenter)
·Young Blue Peter sports badge winner
·Tina Daheley (Radio 1)
·Alison Oliver (CEO, Youth Sports Trust)
·Will Roberts (Assistant Director of Development, Youth Sports Trust)
·Lee Murphy (Head of PR/Comms, Youth Sports Trust)
·Jody Cundy (Paralympic Gold medallist)
·Lutalo Muhammad (Olympic silver medallist)
·Dina Asher-Smith (Sprinter, Olympian and European Champion)
·Carl Doran (Executive Editor, BBC Sports Personality of the Year)