‘Outstanding’ O’Brien cleared for final Test

Lions coach Graham Rowntree hailed flanker Sean O’Brien as outstanding last night after the Leinster and Ireland openside was cleared of dangerous play in the second Test.

The British & Irish Lions received a significant boost to their hopes of a series victory over the All Blacks when O’Brien’s citing for dangerous play in Saturday’s second Test was dismissed at an independent judicial hearing yesterday.

O’Brien, one of the Lions’ outstanding players on the 2017 tour to New Zealand, received the good news from an all-Australian judicial panel including former Munster forward John Langford following a marathon three-and-a-half hour hearing in Wellington.