O’Kelly To Return Home.

Malcolm O Kelly is to return home after sustaining an injury which rules him out of the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.

Malcolm O Kelly is to return home after sustaining an injury which rules him out of the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.

The 30-year-old Irish lock forward sustained a recurrence of an old groin injury in training earlier this week. Though the Lions medical team was initially hopeful that he would recover in time to be selected for one of the early matches of the Tour, they have grown concerned in recent days that the injury is more serious than first thought. Those fears have been confirmed by an Auckland based specialist who examined O Kelly this afternoon.

O Kelly said: I am obviously very disappointed that for me the tour is over. I have had this problem for a while but had managed to keep it at bay. I have to be philosophical and accept the judgement of the doctors. It is as well just to accept it and go home, and let the coaches and players get on with the job of trying to win the series against New Zealand. They are a great bunch and though I am sorry I will no longer be part of it, I wish them all the best.

Lions coach Clive Woodward expressing his disappointment at O’Kelly’s departure said: Mal is a terrific player and it is always very sad when a top class player loses out to injury like this. We spoke after he saw the specialist today and agreed there was no chance of him being fit enough to play and it was better for the tour if a replacement was called out. It is very sad for Mal but his attitude has been first class. Even now, he has put the broader interests of the Lions first.

His Irish & Leinster team-mate, Brian O Driscoll said: All of us, but perhaps most of all Mal s Irish team mates, are obviously saddened at the news. We ve known about his injury but like him hoped it would not flare up like this. It is typical of Mal that he has taken it in the spirit he has. O Kelly, Ireland s most capped player with 73 appearances for his country, started three matches, and played a fourth as a replacement, on the Lions 2001 tour of Australia. He scored one try against Queensland President s XV in Townsville.

The Lions coach has said that a replacement will be announced shortly.