The British and Irish Lions have ruled out James Hook and Euan Murray from their selection plans for Saturday's first Test against world champions South Africa.
Both players suffered injuries during a bruising 20-8 victory over the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth yesterday.
The fly-half Hook was on the receiving end of a high tackle which left him nursing a bang to his neck and head.
Murray went off with a sprained ankle and although an x-ray has revealed no fracture, he will not be considered for the Test team.
While neither were considered first-choice selections, Hook's absence will rob the Lions of a versatile, impact player off the bench.
"James has the ability to play 10, 13, 15 and you are going to miss a player of James's quality," Lions' assistant coach Rob Howley said, adding that the Lions had been the victims of some unsavoury incidents.
"There was a cynical mark on the game. I think there were a lot of off-the-ball incidents that were not picked up by neither touch judge nor referee.
"The Southern Kings were very physical and there were two off-the-ball incidents involving Gordon D'Arcy that were, for whatever reasons, undetected." Howley said.
Lions' head coach Ian McGeechan is due to announce his Test side tomorrow.
Although yesterday's match was an often brutal affair, the match citing commissioner has opted to take no further action against any players.
As part of the Lions' tour agreement in South Africa, he had a 12-hour window to make a citing but has decided not to go down that route.
* With agencies
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Our legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants
Cinco in numbers
Dh3.7 million
The estimated cost of Victoria Swarovski’s gem-encrusted Michael Cinco wedding gown
46
The number, in kilograms, that Swarovski’s wedding gown weighed.
1,000
The hours it took to create Cinco’s vermillion petal gown, as seen in his atelier [note, is the one he’s playing with in the corner of a room]
50
How many looks Cinco has created in a new collection to celebrate Ballet Philippines’ 50th birthday
3,000
The hours needed to create the butterfly gown worn by Aishwarya Rai to the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
1.1 million
The number of followers that Michael Cinco’s Instagram account has garnered.
more from Janine di Giovanni
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills