Jerry Flannery has been ruled out of The British & Irish Lions Tour of South Africa through injury.

The Munster and Ireland hooker chipped a bone in his elbow in training on Wednesday and has been told that he now requires surgery, thus ending his hopes of travelling to The Rainbow Nation.

The Lions management have yet to confirm who will replace Flannery in the touring party.

The news came just hours after it was confirmed that Flannery's provincial and international teammate, the suspended Alan Quinlan, would not be able to travel, thus resulting in a call-up for England's Tom Croft.

Another Munsterman, Tomas O'Leary, was the first man to withdraw from the original squad when he injured his ankle in a Magners League game at the tail end of last month. His place in the panel was taken by Scotland scrum-half Mike Blair.

The Lions have also lost Tom Shanklin to a dislocated shoulder but McGeechan has decided against calling up a replacement for the Cardiff Blues centre.