Injury ends Lydiate’s hopes of Lions tour

DAN LYDIATE’S season is over, wiping him out of the Six Nations and out of contention for a second successive Lions tour.

The extent of the damage to the Wales flanker’s left knee can be revealed today as ruptured anterior cruciate ligaments, confirming the player’s worst fears.

The blow is a more severe one than that suffered by Billy Vunipola, the England No. 8 who is due back from knee cartilage surgery before the end of the Six Nations.

Ospreys’ head coach Steve Tandy said yesterday: ‘’I am genuinely devastated for ‘Lyds’ because I know how hard he works and how much the game means to him. He’s done his ACL and won’t play again this season.

Lydiate, whose knee buckled in open play just before half-time against South Africa last week, is due to be back in the operating theatre this week.

Wales have agreed to release interim head coach Rob Howley and kicking expert Neil Jenkins for the Lions tour of New Zeland next summer. They will be named this week as two of four specialists along with England’s forward coach Steve Borthwick and Ireland’s defence expert Andy Farrell.