Welsh Grand Slam winner Brent Cockbain was today on his way to New Zealand as replacement for banned Lion Danny Grewcock.
The 30-year-old Neath-Swansea Ospreys forward will arrive following a damaging weekend when the Lions lost captain Brian O'Driscoll, flanker Richard Hill and centre Tom Shanklin through injuries, and Grewcock to suspension.
Cockbain, a key figure during Wales' Six Nations title-winning campaign, earns an immediate chance off the bench against Manawatu in Palmerston North on Tuesday as he will link up with the Lions from Australia, rather than the UK, removing any prospect of jet lag.
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