Rejuvenated Best puts Lions letdown behind him

Ireland hooker Rory Best felt so down after his omission from the Lions tour party he just wanted to forget about rugby.

But he admits that friends and family, and, in particular, his Ulster team-mates, brought a smile back on his face and the return of that competitive spirit. He is now looking forward to captaining Ireland on their summer tour to North America and seeing off Leinster in the Pro12 final at the RDS on Saturday.

“I was absolutely gutted I didn’t make the squad,” said Best.