Banned Quinlan misses Lions tour
Munster flanker Alan Quinlan will miss the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa after he was banned for 12 weeks on Wednesday for eye-gouging.
Quinlan was found guilty of gouging following an incident involving Leinster's Leo Cullen during Munster's European Cup semi-final defeat at Croke Park in Dublin on May 2.
The opening match of the Lions tour is on May 30, with the first Test against the world champions Springboks on June 20.
The 34-year-old Quinlan becomes the third player to be forced out of the Lions squad after fellow Munster player, scrum-half Tomas O'Leary broke his ankle and Cardiff Blues centre Tom Shanklin dislocated his shoulder.
Scotland skipper Mike Blair has replaced O'Leary, but no replacement for Shanklin has yet been named yet by coach Ian McGeechan.
"Obviously this was going to be the pinnacle of Quinny's career," Munster manager Shaun Payne told the BBC.
"He is absolutely distraught and very, very disappointed, and I think any person who enjoys rugby will know what that means to him."
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A video grab of the incident involving Leinster's Leo Cullen during the Heineken Cup semi... Read Full Story »
