'Selfless' Garry Ringrose praised after concussion withdrawal

By Duncan Bech, PA Rugby Union Correspondent, Melbourne

Ireland's Garry Ringrose has been praised for self-reporting the concussion symptoms that have cost him the chance of playing his first Test for the Lions.

Ringrose pulled out of a Lions team that shows three changes from the opening 27-19 victory over Australia, with Andrew Porter, Ollie Chessum and Bundee Aki given starts.

On the bench Owen Farrell is poised to make his first international appearance since helping England finish third at the 2023 World Cup and he is joined by Jac Morgan, the only Welshman in the touring party.

The starting XV is made up of nine players from Ireland – seven of whom represent Leinster – four Englishmen and two from Scotland.

The Ireland and Leinster contingent would have increased by one had Ringrose not told head coach Andy Farrell shortly before he was due to officially announce the team that his concussion symptoms had returned.

An injury that initially surfaced after July 9’s win over the ACT Brumbies forced him to sit out the first Test, but having made a successful comeback against the First Nations and Pasifika XV on Tuesday, he was poised to replace Huw Jones at outside centre.

Instead, he will be watching from the stands with Jones continuing in midfield for the Lions’ shot at completing a series victory at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

 

“Garry was actually selected and unfortunately, after training, he’s had to pull out,” Andy Farrell said.

“It’s head-related again. It was literally as I was walking off the field. He came to me, and once that’s mentioned, that’s that.

“With these type of things players are getting very good at telling the truth of how they feel, so it was a no-brainer to make the change straight away.

“It’s very easy to keep it to yourself and lie and not be honest and open. It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100 per cent. For the team as well, not just for Garry.”

Lions captain Maro Itoje echoed the view of his head coach.

“I’m gutted for him that he’s in this position, but it also shows the measure of the man to be so selfless,” Itoje said.

“All we ask of all of us is to be selfless and put the team first. When push comes to shove, you see who really does it. Garry is a man who really did it.”

Had Ringrose been fit, he would have formed an all-Ireland partnership with Aki at the expense of Sione Tuipulotu and Jones, the Scotland combination who impressed in the series opener at Suncorp Stadium.

Tuipulotu is struggling with a tight hamstring but the indications are that he would have been dropped even without the injury.

Joe McCarthy has failed to recover from his foot problem, so Chessum slots into the second row, while loosehead prop Porter is preferred ahead of Ellis Genge in the front row.

James Lowe is lucky to retain his place on the left wing after a poor display in the first Test, but with Blair Kinghorn present on the bench after overcoming a knee problem, Andy Farrell has a high-quality alternative ready.