Stuart Hogg out of Lions tour after collision with Conor Murray

It was an accidental brush with his own team-mate that brought his second Lions tour to an end.

By Simon Lewis in Dunedin

Stuart Hogg's collision with Conor Murray's elbow has seen him ruled out of the rest of the British & Irish Lions tour of New Zealand.

The bad news for the Scotland full-back came overnight from Dunedin, where the Lions are set to play the Highlanders this morning (8:35am Irish time), although no replacement will be drafted in as cover in the back three.

Hogg, 11 days shy of his 25th birthday, was injured during last Saturday's game in Christchurch against the Crusaders. Yet it was an accidental brush with his own team-mate Murray that brought his second Lions tour to an end.

Hogg was chasing his own kick upfield through a mass of players when he ran into the elbow of the Lions scrum-half, who was standing with his arms raised to indicate he was not an active player and therefore not offside.

The Scot received a cut under his ear and a bad bruise below his eye which after consultation with a specialist was revealed to be stemming from a facial bone fracture.

“I'm gutted to be leaving the Tour at this stage,” Hogg said. “It is an honour to have been involved in a second British & Irish Lions tour and I have hugely enjoyed my time with the squad and I'm very excited about the potential of this group.

“I'm disappointed to be leaving in this way but wish all the squad the best in the coming weeks and will be cheering them on from home.”

Lions head coach Warren Gatland added: “It is hugely disappointing for Stuart to have to return home early and for us to lose one of our touring party.

“Stuart has been a key member of our squad on and off the field and it is disappointing to see injury cut short his time with us in New Zealand.

“We all wish him the best with his recovery and we look forward to seeing him back in action in the future.”

With Hogg out of the squad, Gatland still has plenty of options within his existing touring party.

Ireland's Jared Payne was due to start at full-back in Tuesday morning's Highlanders clash at Forsyth Barr Stadium, while England's Anthony Watson was the Scot's replacement in Christchurch.

Another Englishman, Elliot Daly, can also play in the backfield, while Wales's Leigh Halfpenny was the first-choice number 15 ahead of Hogg four years ago when the Lions defeated Australia for their first series win since 1997.

While Halfpenny lacks the attacking spark Hogg possesses, the Welshman would offer a proven goal-kicking option having been the leading points scorer on the 2013 tour.

The Toulon player kicked four from four last week against the Blues in Auckland in his only appearance as a 2017 Lion to date.