"Family comes first"
The understanding and understandable words from Lions head coach Warren Gatland, after Ben Youngs' decision to withdraw from the tour to New Zealand.
The upcoming series down under was put firmly into perspective on Saturday evening, when the Leicester Tigers scrum half made his decision not to travel.
Instead, he'll remain in England to support his brother Tom (also a series winner with the Lions in 2013), whose wife is terminally ill.
Speaking today, Gatland says that Youngs has made the correct call in opting to stay at home, while also backing his replacement Greig Laidlaw to react well to being called up in such difficult circumstances.
The world of rugby has rallied around the Youngs brothers in recent days, with messages of support coming from all over the world. It's the latest in a number of times this year when the sport was put in perspective, following the untimely deaths of Anthony Foley, Joost van der Westhuizen and Elli Norkett.
With more than 25 members of the squad having played with Tom either in a Leicester, England of Lions jersey in recent years, it's clear he and his wife Tiffany will be in their thoughts when they walk out at Eden Park for the first test in Auckland on June 24th.
The thoughts of everyone at Premiership Rugby are with @benyoungs09 and @TomYoungs87 at this time: https://t.co/mGgn6Bk4IR pic.twitter.com/nP1koIAXdi
— Premiership Rugby (@premrugby) May 6, 2017
