Long took a battering in the win over Australia

The St Helens scrum-half, whose wife is pregnant, made a shock return home after Saturday's loss to New Zealand.

"After Saturday I realised I was physically and mentally fatigued and had nothing more to contribute," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"While I feel I've let the team down, I honestly feel I'd have let them down further by trying to play again."

Long, who has often been accused of failing to deliver on the international stage, was the man of the match in the Lions' 23-12 win over Australia.

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But he looked out of sorts against the Kiwis and 48 hours later was on a plane home, saying he had felt the strain of being apart from his wife at this stage of her pregnancy.

Coach Brian Noble has picked Hull's Richard Horne in place of Long for Saturday's vital game against the Kangaroos in Brisbane, but said that had he remained with the party, Long would have been picked.

"He would definitely have started had he still been here," he said.

"But when you have moving personal issues you have to deal with those and respect his thought processes."