Warren Gatland’s 41-man Lions tour has taken its first hit today with the news that Ben Youngs will not travel to New Zealand.
A Leicester Tigers statement read that the wife of the scrum-half’s brother Tom is battling cancer. She has been battling for three years and the family has now received the devastating news that the illness is terminal.
The wife of Ben’s brother Tom has been battling cancer for three years and the family has now received the devastating news that the illness is terminal.
“We are a very close family and, as I am sure everyone can respect, time is now precious together,” said Ben.
“The most important thing for me at this difficult time is to be able to offer as much support as I can to Tom and his family in the remaining time we all have together.
“It is a great honour to be selected as a member of the British & Irish Lions squad and I would like to thank Warren Gatland, the staff and the other players for their understanding in this situation. I wish them well and, like all rugby supporters in British and Ireland, hope they have a successful tour.”
In these tragic circumstances, Gatland is now likely to select another scrum-half to travel, with Greig Laidlaw or Danny Care in contention to replace Youngs.
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