Jones heads for tour after Ferris blow
Wales captain Ryan Jones will fly to Cape Town tonight after being summoned as a replacement for the second successive British and Irish Lions tour.
And while the Ospreys back-row forward prepares for check-in just three days after arriving back from Wales' successful North America tour, Ireland Grand Slam winner Stephen Ferris has seen his Lions dream cruelly shattered by a knee injury.
"Stephen is a superb player, and I wish him a quick and full recovery from his injury," said Jones. "I am anxious to help the Lions in any way I can, and I recognise how this is a great honour for me and my family."
Ferris, a strong candidate to have clinched a Lions Test place against world champions South Africa on Saturday week, has suffered a knee ligament tear that means he faces a six-week lay-off.
He twisted his right knee during a training drill on Monday afternoon, and a scan subsequently revealed the injury's full extent.
Lions head coach Ian McGeechan added: "He (Ferris) 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 back-row."
