STEPHEN FERRIS is out of the Lions tour after suffering a knee injury in training that will keep him sidelined for four to six weeks. He will be replaced by Wales captain Ryan Jones who will travel to South Africa immediately and join the squad on their arrival in Cape Town on Thursday evening.
The Ireland flanker suffered the damage in a training session in Durban on Monday complaining of soreness in the joint and was withdrawn. He was put on crutches and yesterday morning sent to hospital for a scan.
Lions’ coach Ian McGeechan confirmed: “Ryan Jones has been called up to replace Stephen Ferris who unfortunately sustained a knee injury during Monday afternoon’s training. He twisted his right knee in a training drill and following a medical assessment it was decided that he should undergo a scan to determine the extent of the injury.
“He had the scan on Tuesday morning that showed he had a grade two tear to his medial collateral ligament. This usually requires a four to six-week recovery period and is severe enough to mean he will miss the rest of the tour. Therefore with six matches left on tour after Wednesday’s match against the Sharks we believe we need to fly out a replacement as cover for the backrow.”
It is a cruel blow for the Ulster man whose performances would have made him a strong contender for a place in the three-Test series that begins on Saturday week. Ferris was due to be on the bench in the opening match against the Royal XV but suffered a bizarre injury when pulling a thigh muscle when getting off the team coach.
He was named among the replacements for the clash with Golden Lions at Ellis Park the following Wednesday and came on to score a 70-metre try. He started at the weekend against the Cheetahs and won the man-of-the-match accolade, scoring his second try in the process.
Ireland players have suffered a miserable run of fortune in relation to this tour with scrumhalf Tomás O’Leary (broken ankle) and Jerry Flannery (elbow) being ruled out before departure and Alan Quinlan missing out because of suspension.
