Andy Farrell is facing fresh selection problems, with Garry Ringrose and Luke Cowan-Dickie out of the Lions’ first Test against the Wallabies. The centre Ringrose and the hooker Cowan-Dickie have been sidelined by concussion, with England’s Jamie George flying to Australia from Argentina as cover for the latter and to bolster the squad for the final three weeks of the tour.
Ringrose’s misfortune has come at a pivotal juncture and is likely to propel Scotland’s Huw Jones into the starting XV to face Australia in Brisbane next Saturday. Farrell, consequently, may be tempted to unite him with his Glasgow teammate Sione Tuipulotu after the pair’s successful outing in a 48-0 thrashing of a combined Australia & New Zealand Invitational XV.
Cowan-Dickie, for his part, will be unavailable for the first Test and the subsequent final midweek game, against a First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne. That has prompted a call-up for George, who has been touring Argentina with England. It will be the Saracens hooker’s third Lions tour and his experience may come in useful. “We are down to the business end and there is a lot of rugby to be played,” Farrell said.
With the Lions due to fly to Brisbane on Sunday, however, Ringrose will have to be patient, having been injured against the Brumbies on Wednesday. “Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction,” said Farrell. “He had headaches for a day and it carried on for the next day so he went through concussion protocols and failed those.
“That puts him out of the first Test but [potentially] puts him back in for the midweek game before the second Test. You don’t mess around with these things. It is unfortunate for him and everyone else.”
Picking the right blend in midfield will be vital and Ringrose’s untimely setback may enhance the chances of Owen Farrell featuring in some capacity. Either way, Farrell Sr says he has an open mind. “Huw and Sione were very good. There was a discussion to be had after this game anyway. Who knows which way we would have gone because it’s true what we said about leaving it open.
“I know people think we had a fixed mind after Wednesday’s game, but that’s not the truth. I can’t remember looking at a sheet over the last few weeks and thinking: ‘That combination has to happen because of the country that it’s from.’ That doesn’t exist in this group.”
Jones, for one, is taking nothing for granted, having not been advised before the game that Ringrose was struggling. “No one told me, which was probably a good thing because then it didn’t mess with my head. We’ve been working together loads so I’m gutted for him. You hate to see someone get hurt because we’re all in it together. But if that means I get an opportunity next week then I’ll be very happy with that and then try and grab it with both hands.”
The Lions also have big decisions to make in the back row, where Jac Morgan, Josh van der Flier, Tom Curry and Henry Pollock are vying for places in the Test-match 23. Farrell believes his squad are “in nice shape” for the series and is unconcerned by the one-sided nature of Saturday’s game.
“It was a professional team performance. If we win with 50 points the competition is not strong enough, but then if somebody puts a tough performance on us, it’s us that’s not good enough. You’re damned if you do, you’re damned if you don’t.
“We just want to make sure as a squad that we keep pushing forward and I felt we did that in many areas of our game. I don’t think anyone’s surprising us. We know the personnel we’ve got, but we’re pleased everyone’s rolling into next week in a bit of form.”
