Flannery ruled out of Lions tour

The 2009 British and Irish Lions touring party have lost a third of our provincial stalwarts as the Lions management have confirmed that Ireland and Munster hooker Jerry Flannery received a serious injury at training this Wednesday. The injury, suffered during a contact training session, has shown the hooker to have torn ligaments in his left elbow that rules him out of the tour.

Flannery will be assessed by an orthopaedic specialist on Thursday and will start his rehabilitation as soon as possible.

The Lions management will make an announcement regarding a replacement in due course.