Missing out on Lions selection felt like a punch to the guts for Rory Darge but the Glasgow Warriors flanker did not have long to dwell on his disappointment. Darge was soon chosen to captain Scotland on their summer tour and will next month lead the side into matches against the MÄori All Blacks, Fiji and Samoa. The first and last games will be played in New Zealand, an important stop-off on any rugby player’s educational journey, and it will the 25-year-old’s first visit. The proximity to the Lions tour in Australia could be a factor if Andy Farrell needs to bring in replacements but Darge’s focus is very much on the job in hand with Scotland. He said his responsibilities with the national side helped push the Lions disappointment into the background and also came as a fillip after Glasgow’s loss to Leinster in the URC semi-finals. “It’s easy for me to look at the positive side of it because I’m playing for Scotland,†said Darge who was sporting a large bandage on his right ear but will be fit for the tour. “It’s always a massive honour and it’s a massive privilege so you don’t dwell on it too much. Coming into this environment and then striving towards performing well and getting victories really helps.†Four of Darge’s Glasgow team-mates were selected by Farrell for the Lions and there was something understandably bitter-sweet about the afternoon the squad was revealed. The Warriors players were gathered at Scotstoun for the announcement and there was much celebration as the names of Scott Cummings, Zander Fagerson, Huw Jones and Sione Tuipulotu were read out. “It’s a weird one,†reflected Darge. “I think before the announcement I wasn’t particularly expecting to be there and you know, part of that might be that you’re protecting yourself a little bit for when you don’t get announced, but also I just think my position is particularly competitive. But then when the names are getting read out – I’m just talking about the day of the announcement, not before that – you see the names in the forwards and it’s on B or C and then it goes to E or whatever and misses your name and there is a bit of a gut-punchy feel. “Obviously Scotty was before me and you’re seeing the other guys and I was delighted for them, but it’s a bit of a weird feeling with the mixed emotions. At that time we were prepping for a [URC] quarter-final, so you’re all in with that and things move on quickly.†In total, eight Scotland players were selected for the Lions, with Finn Russell, Blair Kinghorn, Duhan van der Merwe and Pierre Schoeman joining the Glasgow quartet. When Gregor Townsend named his squad for the summer tour he said he would be delighted if some more of his players were spirited away to the Lions. The national coach had already been deprived of eight but felt there were others who merited a place in Farrell’s tour party. Zander Fagerson has since withdrawn through injury but the likes of Darge, Darcy Graham, Ben White and Jamie Ritchie are all likely to be under consideration for a call-up should injuries strike in Australia. “It’s not something that I’ll be thinking about,†said Darge. “There’s a lot of our mental side of things which is preoccupied with what my main focus is, which is striving for three wins out there.†But if the Lions call came, he would be keen? “Of course, yeah, but like I said earlier, it’s not really on my radar at all. I’ll definitely be watching with a keen interest to see how our guys get on and then focusing on the game at hand.†Darge has been co-captain alongside Finn Russell for Scotland’s last two Six Nations campaigns but the East Lothian man will be flying solo this time. It’s an opportunity he is relishing and he knows there are others within the squad he can lean on for support. “There’s still lots of experienced guys here to help me,†he said. “There’s Grant [Gilchrist], there’s Jamie [Ritchie], Kyle Steyn, who’s obviously a skipper at Glasgow, and loads outside of that like Ben White has come back in after the weekend for the first time. I feel like I’m surrounded by really good guys from a leadership point of view, but also the squad as a whole has been gelling together really well.†The tour begins next Saturday with a non-cap match against the MÄori All Blacks in the North Island city of WhangÄrei. Scotland then travel to Suva to take on Fiji on July 12 before returning to New Zealand for the final match against Samoa at Eden Park, the famous Auckland stadium. “It’s cool places to go and see, and tough teams,†added Darge. “There’s so much that you can get excited for tours, whether it’s the rugby, being back in this environment or spending some proper time together. There’s no going home after training and then it’s relaxing together and stuff, so I’m excited for that aspect of it and then excited to play the teams we’re playing. They are really good sides and it’ll be challenging. “It’s also just going to cool places that you’ve never been before. It’s something that I know that if it wasn’t for rugby I wouldn’t be able to do. I’ve been to South America in the last couple of years and now New Zealand and Fiji which are places where rugby is absolutely the main sport – they live and breathe rugby so that’ll be great for us to experience.â€