British and Irish Lions

The 30-year-old will be replaced Matt Giteau, who has played most of career at centre, leaving the Australians without their first and second-choice scrum-halves for the tour.

Cordingley was set to be the first-choice number nine after regular scrum-half and skipper George Gregan decided to take a rest from international duties following a tough season.

But the Queensland player announced on Wednesday that he was still troubled by a persistent ligament injury and ruled himself out of the tour.

"I've given it two days and I'm still not moving the way I would like or with the confidence that I would like," he said after leaving the Wallabies training base in Coffs Harbour, New South Wales.

"It's progressed slowly with treatment but at the moment it's still about 70% and I had a choice to either push it and see if I got through the tour or stay behind and get the injury properly attended to before next season.

"I don't think I could get through the training load, let alone the four Tests," he added.

In the meantime, Cordingley's scrum-half understudy at the Queensland Reds Josh Valentine has been called into the squad to fight New South Wales number nine Brett Sheehan for the vacant position.

Lions skipper Sam Warburton says the lessons he and his Welsh colleagues learnt in Australia last summer will stand them in good stead for their return visit with Britain and Ireland's elite next month.

Tom Youngs has enjoyed a remarkable rise to the top of the British & Irish game but he won't be resting on his laurels ahead of his first Lions adventure.

Check out the video from the day the HSBC Cubs met The British & Irish Lions at the Vale of Glamorgan in a day they will remember for the rest of their lives.