Feisty British and Irish Lions Test takes its toll as three tourists suffer hefty head knocks

Louis Chapman Coombe
Maro Itoje in action for the British and Irish Lions in 2025

British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje in action v Australia in 2025

The British and Irish Lions already find themselves under intense pressure at the half-time break, but they will now be without key men Maro Itoje, Tommy Freeman and James Ryan for the rest of the game.

Andy Farrell’s tourists find themselves 8-0 down at the time of writing, with the game delayed by a storm, but have already been forced into three changes with just 42 minutes on the clock.

Maro Itoje and Tommy Freeman OUT of Lions Test Three

Captain Itoje was flagged for an HIA part-way through the first-half, much to his confusion, and it was later confirmed he had failed the test and would sit out the rest of the match.

Upon leaving the field for his HIA, he was replaced by English compatriot Ollie Chessum, and that change will now become a permanent replacement.

Later in the half, fellow England international Freeman also picked up a head knock, and was later seen with blood pouring from his nose as he left the field. During the half-time break, it has also been confirmed he too failed his HIA.

Freeman was replaced by Owen Farrell, and again that change will also be a permanent one. Farrell’s introduction has also led to a backline reshuffle, with Huw Jones pushing out to the wing and Bundee Aki now at 13.

Commenting on the pair, assistant coach Simon Easterby confirmed they have both failed their HIA’s.

“As far as I’m aware,” he said.

At the start of the second-half, fellow lock Ryan also copped a hefty head knock and was carted off by a stretcher. At the time of writing, there is no update on his fitness.

Even without these key injuries, the Lions are currently doing it tough, but Easterby feels they could still come back into the game.

“Once we get an opportunity to put a bit more pressure on in their 22, we should create more chances. At the moment, we’re coughing the ball up a bit and we’ve let them off the hook,” he said.

“We want to play the game in the right places and not too much in our own half. But, we need to be more accurate when we have the ball, and in defence, we need to stay disciplined. Once we’re disciplined, we stop giving them access points.”

Australia James Ryan Maro Itoje Tommy Freeman

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