Former Scotland and Lions prop Tom Smith diagnosed with stage four cancer

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One of the legends of Scottish rugby has revealed that he has stage four cancer. Former loosehead prop Tom Smith, who won 61 caps for Scotland and started six successive Tests for the British and Irish Lions, announced on Thursday that he has colon cancer, which has spread to his brain and liver.

The 48-year-old was on a family canoeing holiday on the Dordogne River before the World Cup when he began to experience persistent pain in his abdomen. Having started to lose weight and also pass blood, his wife Zoe insisted he went to the accident and emergency department at Bordeaux Hospital. The news, he said, was worse than he could ever...