Injured Lions skipper Sam Warburton has been ruled out of Saturday’s deciding Test against the Wallabies in a massive blow for the tourists, team officials said yesterday.
Scans revealed a “significant tear” in his left hamstring suffered late in the Lions’ 16-15 second Test defeat to Australia at the weekend and the Welsh flanker will now miss the series showdown in Sydney, the officials said.
Irish veteran Brian O’Driscoll is now expected to captain the tourists in what will be his final Lions Test.
Warburton came off 13 minutes from the end of the second Test and remained in Melbourne after the match under the supervision of Lions team doctor Eanna Falvey to undergo a full medical assessment.
“It is incredibly disappointing to be ruled out of the tour through injury as we head to Sydney for the deciding match,” Warburton said in a team statement.
“I wish the team all the best and hope I can play some part in the buildup this week,” he said.
“I am confident that the boys can finish the job off and secure the series win,” he added.
The devastating news for the 24-year-old forward, who missed the Lions’ opening two wins in Hong Kong and Perth, Australia, with knee ligament damage, comes as he struck top form in the second Test.
Warburton became the youngest Welsh Lions tour captain in Lions history when he was named skipper in May.
He led Wales to the 2011 World Cup semi-finals only to be sent off in a narrow defeat by France in Auckland.
After he missed the early part of the last European season through injury, Warburton starred against Scotland and in the record 30-3 thrashing of England that lifted Wales to the Six Nations title.
The injury follows the loss of experienced forward pack leader Paul O’Connell, with a broken arm from the the tourists 23-21 first Test win over the Wallabies in Brisbane.
Ireland’s Sean O’Brien is likely to replace Warburton in the Lions team at number seven for Saturday’s third Test.
OUT AGAINST INDONESIA: Taiwan reached the semi-finals at the tournament for the first time by defeating Denmark, with Chou Tien-chen beating Viktor Axelsen Taiwan yesterday crashed out of the Thomas Cup team competition in Chengdu, China, but achieved their best result at the top-tier badminton event by reaching the semi-finals. Indonesia were too good in the semis, winning 3-0 to advance to today’s final against China, who eliminated Malaysia 3-1. In the opening singles of the men’s team clash at the Hi-Tech Zone Sports Center Gymnasium 2, Anthony Ginting defeated Taiwan’s Chou Tien-chen 21-18, 21-19 in 51 minutes, which put a huge hole in Taiwan’s aspirations to perhaps even make the final. In the men’s doubles, Fajar Alfian and Muhammad Ardianto downed Lee Yang and Wang
NO DOUBT: Spurs star Wembanyama was unanimously selected as NBA Rookie of the Year, winning all 99 votes to become the first Frenchman to capture the honor The Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night produced a dominant defensive display to seize a commanding 2-0 lead in their best-of-seven playoff series against the Denver Nuggets with a 106-80 road victory. The third-seeded Timberwolves harassed Denver relentlessly to claim a second straight win over the NBA champions as the series heads back to Minneapolis for Game 3 on Friday. Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards scored 27 points apiece, but the star of the show was Minnesota’s suffocating defensive effort, which knocked Denver out of their stride almost from the tip-off. The Timberwolves finished with 11 steals and 12 blocks, in sharp contrast to
Top-ranked Iga Swiatek on Saturday came through “the most intense and crazy final” she has ever contested to avenge her loss to Aryna Sabalenka in last year’s Madrid Open final with a grueling three hour, 11 minute victory in the Spanish capital. Coming back from 1-3 down in the decider and saving three match points in total, Swiatek claimed a 7-5, 4-6, 7-6 (9/7) victory to secure the Madrid Open trophy for the first time. “Well, who is going to say now that women’s tennis is boring, right?” Swiatek said. Swiatek, who picked up the 20th title of her career, and ninth at
One of Malaysia’s top soccer clubs has pulled out of today’s season-opening Charity Shield after a spate of assaults, including an acid attack, on players in the country. It leaves the kickoff of Malaysia’s season this weekend under a cloud following the unprecedented acts of violence against players, which have left the country shocked and angry. Authorities said they have imposed tighter security, but Selangor said that they would not play in the showpiece curtain-raiser against Malaysian Super League champions Johor Darul Ta’zim (JDT) citing “a series of criminal incidents and recent threats.” Selangor and Malaysia winger Faisal Halim is in intensive care