O'Driscoll joins injured Jones on flight home
Brian O'Driscoll joins Adam Jones on flight home from Lions tour
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Tuesday, 30, Jun 2009 03:03
Brian O'Driscoll's British and Irish Lions tour is over after he was told he will be flying home tomorrow morning because of a concussion.
The Irish centre, who has acted as vice-captain on the 2009 tour, was injured during the 28-25 defeat in the brutal second Test match against South Africa last weekend, which sealed an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series for the hosts.
And along with Wales prop Adam Jones, who suffered a dislocated shoulder in the same match, O'Driscoll will be flying back home after the Lions medical team confirmed he would not be fit to play in the third and final Test on Saturday.
O'Driscoll said that, despite the disappointing nature of the results against the Springboks, the tour had been "one of the highlights of my career".
"We were unbeaten leading into the Test matches and it is a shame that the results in the Tests did not go our way but sport comes down to fine margins at times," he said.
"We could easily have won the first two Tests but it wasn't to be.
"I have decided to return home to my family this week after a very long season and to ensure I give myself every opportunity to recuperate."
Jones has undergone hospital treatment to have his shoulder put back into place and is returning to the UK tomorrow for further specialist opinion and treatment.
"It is always disappointing to be ruled out of a Test series through injury but I am proud of what the squad and I have achieved on the tour," he said.
"Personally I will always remember playing in the two first Tests and especially running on for my debut in the starting XV at Loftus Versfeld.
"My heart will be with the boys on Saturday."
However, fellow Welsh front-row Gethin Jenkins, who has also been ruled out of the final match of the tour with a broken cheekbone, will not be on the flight home as he has a review appointment with the surgeon on Friday.
Lions medical officer James Robson provided some good news for the selectors, saying Tommy Bowe and Jamie Roberts - who both picked up injuries in the last match - "are making encouraging progress" in their quest to be fit for the third Test in Johannesburg.