Wales wing Leigh Halfpenny has been ruled out of the British and Irish Lions’ South Africa tour.
It is the Lions’ second major injury blow in less than 24 hours after Ireland flanker Stephen Ferris suffered a tour-ending knee injury.
Cardiff Blues prospect Halfpenny, at 20 the squad’s youngest player, is set to return home later this week. He sustained a thigh muscle injury in training on Monday, and now requires three to four weeks of rehabilitation.
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The Lions have decided not to replace him as Ian McGeechan, the head coach, feels he has enough existing cover in the squad.
“Leigh unfortunately hurt his right thigh muscle during Monday afternoon’s training, following a medical assessment it was decided that he should undergo a scan to determine the extent of the injury,” McGeechan said.
“He had the scan on Tuesday morning that confirmed a presence of a further muscle injury to his right thigh which will require three to four weeks of rehabilitation which means he will miss the rest of the tour.
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“We are obviously very disappointed that Leigh has sustained a further injury. And we understand that this must be particularly frustrating that this has happened a second time, especially for a young man embarking on his rugby career, but we wish him well for his rehabilitation.”
Halfpenny won six caps this season, scoring four tries, and also touched down during Blues’ crushing EDF Energy Cup final victory over Gloucester at Twickenham in April.
In addition to his prowess on the wing, he also offered the Lions a goalkicking option, suggesting he might have challenged for a Test squad bench role.
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Ferris was ruled out of the Lions tour last night because of a knee injury - meaning another emergency call for Ryan Jones.
Ferris, the Ulster flanker, who had staked a strong claim to wear the No 6 jersey against the Springboks, has torn the medial ligament of his right knee. He will be sidelined for up to six weeks after suffering the injury in training on Monday.
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It is a huge blow for the muscular Ferris, 23, whose pace, industry and two tries on tour put him in contention with Tom Croft for a starting place in the international series.
It resulted in another call-up for Jones, the Ospreys back-row forward, who was also an emergency replacement on the 2005 Lions tour to New Zealand, but ended up playing in all three internationals.