Garry Ringrose has been lauded for self-reporting concussion symptoms that forced Andy Farrell, the British & Irish Lions head coach, into a last-minute reshuffle for Saturday’s second Test against the Wallabies.
Ringrose was slated to start at the Melbourne Cricket Ground along with nine other Ireland players but approached Farrell after Thursday’s training session, moments before he was due to announce his team. As a result, Huw Jones receives a reprieve at outside-centre, partnering Bundee Aki in midfield, with Sione Tuipulotu – who has reported a tight hamstring – omitted.
Ringrose missed the first Test after suffering a concussion two weeks ago in the victory over the Brumbies. He made his comeback in Tuesday’s 24-19 win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV, coming on after 16 minutes to replace the injured Darcy Graham and proving his fitness to Farrell.
Ringrose’s 11th-hour withdrawal could end up costing him a Lions cap against Australia given he must now be considered a doubt for the third Test in Sydney, but Farrell was full of praise for the 30-year-old’s honesty, which has denied him a Lions Test debut in Melbourne.
“It’s head-related again,” said Farrell. “It was literally as I was walking off the field, he came to me, and once it’s mentioned, that’s that.
“There was no incident. He was feeling good, well in advance of Tuesday, and fit and ready to play. No incident through the game at all, nothing yesterday and nothing this morning at all, but with these types 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.”
Asked if Ringrose’s admission was “an unbelievably selfless act”, Farrell replied: “It is actually. I thought exactly [that] the minute he mentioned it because it’s tough to do. 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%. For the team as well, not just for Garry.”
Farrell has made three changes, with Ollie Chessum replacing Joe McCarthy in the second row and Andrew Porter coming in for Ellis Genge at loosehead prop. Owen Farrell comes on to the bench and is in line for a seventh Lions cap on his fourth tour. It would have been four changes to the starting XV had Ringrose not withdrawn and the captain, Maro Itoje, was equally taken aback by the Ireland centre’s selflessness.
“Firstly, absolutely gutted for Garry,” Itoje said. “To play with him and get to know him over the last couple of months has been a real privilege and honour. I’m gutted for him that he’s in this position. But also, it shows the measure of the man to be so selfless. 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.”
Chessum, who forms an all-England second-row partnership with Itoje, said: “For him to be selfless like that – he has to think of himself but also for the team. You know how much everyone in this camp wants to be involved with this game at the weekend and it would have taken absolutely everything from him to pull himself out. That’s just testament to Garry’s character and the type of person that he is.”
