The 27-year-old was a surprise inclusion in the squad to face Les Bleus after playing only 40 minutes in the Osprey’s 19-17 win against Connacht on Sunday.

That was the scrum-half’s first taste of action since his recovery from ankle ligament damage suffered in the Osprey’s 25-24 victory in the Heineken Cup against Clermont Auvergne in October.

But Gatland insists the chance to include the Lion was too good an opportunity to turn down.

He said: “We waited until the morning after the 40 minutes he had against Connacht but Mike managed to get through that game without any soreness or injury.

“Just having a player of Mike’s quality available and keen to play is a huge boost to us.

“There is no pressure on him from us and having someone of that ability able to come off the bench is something we had to look at.”