England star Ben Youngs rules himself out of Lions contention for family reasons

'Whether or not I would have made the final cut, I’ll never know'

England’s Ben Youngs during a training session. Picture: David Rogers

England scrum-half Ben Youngs has ruled himself out of contention for the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa this summer for family reasons.

The 31-year-old was reportedly one of more than 50 players to have been sent a ‘save-the-date’ letter from Lions coach Warren Gatland.