British and Irish Lions team: Andy Farrell backs 6-2 split with three changes made for clean sweep decider against Wallabies
British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell and an inset of Blair Kinghorn.
Andy Farrell has made three changes to his matchday squad for the final British and Irish Lions Test match against Australia at Accor Stadium in Sydney.
Two of the three changes come in the starting XV with Blair Kinghorn replacing James Lowe on the left wing, the latter dropping out of the team entirely, with Tommy Freeman and Hugo Keenan once again the starting right wing and full-back, respectively.
With Garry Ringrose ruled out due to a head injury that he sustained ahead of the second Lions Test, Farrell has made no changes to the midfield with Bundee Aki and Huw Jones retained in the centres.
Meanwhile, Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell are once again the starting half-backs.
Farrell rewards form
In the back-row, Farrell has stuck with the same loose trio for all three matches against the Wallabies as Tom Curry and Jack Conan earn their sixth consecutive match starts for the Lions, having started all three against the Springboks in 2021. They are joined by Tadhg Beirne, who retains his place at blindside flanker.
The second change to the Lions run-on team sees James Ryan and Ollie Chessum switch roles, with the latter dropping to the bench while the former starts alongside captain Maro Itoje.
Itoje joins Tadhg Furlong in notching up a ninth straight Test appearance for the Lions, having played all three games against the All Blacks and South Africa on previous tours. Furlong once again starts at tighthead prop with Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter the starting hooker and loosehead prop respectively.
Furlong is set to equal Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones in starting nine consecutive Lions Test matches, while Itoje’s ninth consecutive Test appearance includes a cameo off the bench in the first game of the series in 2017.
The Lions coaching team have opted for a 6-2 split in favour of the forwards on the bench, which sees Ben Earl return to the matchday squad after missing the second Test.
Earl provides loose forward cover along with Jac Morgan and could well feature in the backs too if required. Ronan Kelleher, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart and Chessum are the other forward replacements.
Alex Mitchell and Owen Farrell are the two backline replacements for the Lions who will be targeting a clean sweep in Australia, having won all of their touring matches to date as well as the two opening Tests.
“We have put ourselves in a great position to finish this Tour with our best performance to date and create our own piece of history,” head coach Farrell said.
“Last weekend’s Test match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions Tours are and what they mean to both the players and the supporters.
“We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week.”
British and Irish Lions team for Test III
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Blair Kinghorn, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 James Ryan, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Jac Morgan, 21 Ben Earl, 22 Alex Mitchell, 23 Owen Farrell
Date: Saturday, August 2
Venue: Accor Stadium, Sydney
Kick-Off: 8:00pm AEST, 11:00am BST
Referee: Nika Amashukeli (GRU)
Assistant Referees: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO: Marius Jonker (SARU)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
