Henshaw Ruled Out Of Rest Of Lions Tour

Robbie Henshaw suffered a torn pectoral muscle and George North a hamstring tear. Both players will return home this weekend for further treatment.

It is a frustrating finish to Henshaw’s first Lions tour which saw him make four midweek appearances in New Zealand but miss out on Test selection. The strong-carrying and tough-tackling centre was a starter in the narrow defeats to the Blues and Highlanders as well as the memorable 34-6 victory over the Chiefs.

The Athlone youngster, who turned 24 in the second week of the tour, was looking to press his Test claims in the number 12 jersey against the Hurricanes on Tuesday. However, he injured himself towards the end of the opening quarter in Wellington and was indirectly replaced by Leigh Halfpenny.

Lions head coach Warren Gatland said: “It’s unfortunate with Robbie with that pectoral muscle which has put him out. He is heading back to Ireland and has an operation on Monday and George with the hamstring. It’s unfortunate for him and his tour is over as well.

“We have been very lucky that we haven’t had too many injuries so far. It’s been unfortunate for those two players who have picked up injuries this week. They have been great for the squad on tour and we wish them both speedy recovery.”

Speaking last week about his eagerness to play in the Test series against the All Blacks, Henshaw said: “I think you just dig deep, it’s the excitement about the whole thing. You might never get on a Lions tour again, and you have one opportunity to play in the Tests maybe.

“So you’d just be excited for that. So any thoughts of being fatigued or bruised from the last game or training, that all goes out the window. You’re immediately ready to go for a Test game because they’re the games you want to be involved in.”