FORMER England captain Will Carling has ruled himself out of the Lions tour to South Africa which begins in May. According to a report in a British Sunday newspaper, Carling informed Lions manager Fran Cotton of his decision to make himself unavailable on Saturday.

"I need a break. My body and my mind need a rest and at the end of the season I feel that, almost for the first time, I need to take time off," the 31 year old centre was quoted as saying.

"I want some peace. This summer I want to take stock and enjoy a proper private holiday without even thinking of rugby for a while."

Even though Cotton believes the situation could change, he will leave the decision totally with the player.