Doris 'devastated' to miss out on Lions - Farrell

Caelan Doris was ruled out of the British and Irish Lions tour to Australia after suffering a shoulder injury in Leinster's Investec Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton on Saturday

British and Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell said that Ireland skipper Caelan Doris is "devastated" to miss out on selection for the tour to Australia because of injury.

Doris, who was also regarded a strong contender for the Lions captaincy, suffered a shoulder injury in Leinster's Champions Cup semi-final defeat by Northampton last weekend and has undergone surgery.

Farrell said that he had spoken to Doris, adding that the flanker "would have definitely been in the mix being such an experienced player and leader".

"It's devastating for people like that but there's always a constant in every single tour [that injured players miss out]," said the Lions coach, who named Doris as Ireland skipper for the first time during the 2024 Six Nations and handed him the captaincy on a permanent basis last October.

"Sport can be cruel sometimes. Caelan will be back bigger and stronger."