Tuesday 9 May 2017 00:28, UK
Warren Gatland has urged players omitted from his initial British and Irish Lions squad not to give up hope of receiving a call-up.
On Saturday, Leicester Tigers scrum-half Ben Youngs withdrew from the squad for family reasons, with Scotland captain Greig Laidlaw replacing him.
Gatland expects Laidlaw to be the first of many replacement players he will be forced to call upon and said it is important for potential squad members to be mentally prepared to join the tour of New Zealand, which gets underway on June 3.
"If you look at the history of the Lions, six to 10 players get replaced," Gatland said.
"That is what has happened on previous tours so there are six to 10 players out there who are probably going to be called upon at some stage on this tour.
"So be prepared and be ready if you get that opportunity to come out."
Harlequins full-back Mike Brown admitted this week he was "gutted" to miss out, while his England team-mates James Haskell and Dylan Hartley were two other notable exclusions from Gatland's squad.
"I can understand the frustration and disappointment," Gatland admitted, when asked about Brown's remarks. "I am more than happy for him to give me a call if he feels he has been hard done by.
"There are a number of players in the same situation and if any player wants to call us we are more than happy to take that call.
"When we select a squad and make a decision on players it is not always about the rugby content."
Brown was also disappointed not to receive feedback about being on standby but Gatland insists those decisions have not yet been finalised.
The 2017 British and Irish Lions tour to New Zealand will be broadcast live on Sky Sports from June 3
