Brian O'Driscoll has become the latest tour-ending casualty for the British & Irish Lions in South Africa.
Ireland's Grand Slam captain will fly home tomorrow, along with Wales prop Adam Jones, missing next Saturday's third Test at Ellis Park.
O'Driscoll, Lions skipper in New Zealand four years ago, was concussed during the agonising 28-25 second Test defeat in Pretoria three days ago.
His 2005 tour ended in the first minute of the opening Test after he was spear-tackled by All Blacks players Keven Mealamu and Tana Umaga.
The Leinster centre has been one of the Lions' stars of their 10-match South Africa trip, forging an outstanding midfield combination with Wales star Jamie Roberts.
But his absence means a possible call-up on Saturday for England centre Riki Flutey when the Lions will target a consolation victory after South Africa established an unassailable 2-0 series lead.
Jones, meanwhile, suffered a dislocated shoulder after being the victim of a dangerous charge by Bakkies Botha that earned the uncompromising Springboks lock a two-week ban.
Jones, who had performed a mighty job in the Lions front row, had to have the shoulder joint put back into place under anaesthetic.
He will now work with the Ospreys medical staff as he battles to be fit for the start of next season.
"Arrangements are being made to bring Adam home," said Ospreys physiotherapist Chris Towers.
"When he arrives back, we will take a close look at him and assess his condition fully.
"We will then consult with specialists before any decision can be made regarding the management of his injury and any anticipated lay-off."
Jones and O'Driscoll were among five Lions players taken to hospital after a second Test of savage intensity.
Prop Gethin Jenkins is another confirmed non-starter for the tour finale due to a cracked cheekbone, meaning likely chances for England front-row forwards Andrew Sheridan and Phil Vickery.
Jenkins will remain with the tour party, and has a review appointment with a surgeon on Friday. The Lions management have no plans to call for any replacement players.
Roberts (wrist) and wing Tommy Bowe (elbow), meanwhile, continue to be assessed on a daily basis, but Lions doctor James Robson reported they were making "encouraging progress".
The Lions claim O'Driscoll followed required medical protocol yesterday following a concussion, but he was quickly ruled out of contention for the third Test.
O'Driscoll said: "Being a part of the 2009 British and Irish Lions squad has been one of the highlights of my career.
"We were unbeaten leading into the Test matches, and it is a shame that the results in the Tests did not go our way, but sport comes down to fine margins at times."
Lions head coach Ian McGeechan is due to name his third Test line-up on Thursday.
*PA Sport
The smuggler
Eldarir had arrived at JFK in January 2020 with three suitcases, containing goods he valued at $300, when he was directed to a search area.
Officers found 41 gold artefacts among the bags, including amulets from a funerary set which prepared the deceased for the afterlife.
Also found was a cartouche of a Ptolemaic king on a relief that was originally part of a royal building or temple.
The largest single group of items found in Eldarir’s cases were 400 shabtis, or figurines.
Khouli conviction
Khouli smuggled items into the US by making false declarations to customs about the country of origin and value of the items.
According to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, he provided “false provenances which stated that [two] Egyptian antiquities were part of a collection assembled by Khouli's father in Israel in the 1960s” when in fact “Khouli acquired the Egyptian antiquities from other dealers”.
He was sentenced to one year of probation, six months of home confinement and 200 hours of community service in 2012 after admitting buying and smuggling Egyptian antiquities, including coffins, funerary boats and limestone figures.
For sale
A number of other items said to come from the collection of Ezeldeen Taha Eldarir are currently or recently for sale.
Their provenance is described in near identical terms as the British Museum shabti: bought from Salahaddin Sirmali, "authenticated and appraised" by Hossen Rashed, then imported to the US in 1948.
- An Egyptian Mummy mask dating from 700BC-30BC, is on offer for £11,807 ($15,275) online by a seller in Mexico
- A coffin lid dating back to 664BC-332BC was offered for sale by a Colorado-based art dealer, with a starting price of $65,000
- A shabti that was on sale through a Chicago-based coin dealer, dating from 1567BC-1085BC, is up for $1,950
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.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, (Leon banned).
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
