Lions boss Andy Farrell explains dramatic ‘very big of him’ selection U-turn and why his son Owen makes the bench
Garry Ringrose has given up his Lions selection to Huw Jones
Andy Farrell has explained the dramatic training ground moment on Thursday in Melbourne when Garry Ringrose approached him and said he had to give up his starting spot in this Saturday’s British and Irish Lions Test team.
Having featured off the bench on Tuesday’s win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV after a recent concussion had sidelined him, Ringrose was originally selected in Farrell’s starting XV for the second Test versus the Wallabies.
However, Ringrose approached Farrell at the end of the squad’s training session at Xavier College on Thursday to say he wasn’t feeling right and couldn’t play.
The head coach accepted the Irish midfielder’s decision, and when the team was unveiled at a media briefing some minutes later, Huw Jones, who started last weekend’s first Test win in Brisbane, was reinstated in the starting team.
“It’s head-related again…”
It’s an XV that now has just three changes – rather than four – with Bundee Aki, a sub last weekend, starting at No.12 due to Sione Tuipulotu’s tight hamstring, Ollie Chessum is at lock in place of the foot-injured Joe McCarthy while Andrew Porter, another of last weekend’s replacements, rotated to start at loosehead in place of the benched Ellis Genge.
Aside from Genge being named as a sub, there were four other changes to the replacements with James Ryan coming in for the promoted Chessum, Jac Morgan replacing the excluded Ben Earl, Owen Farrell taking over from Marcus Smith, and Blair Kinghorn filling the No.23 shirt vacated by the promoted Aki.
Farrell explained what happened with Ringrose. “Unfortunately for Garry Ringrose, Huw comes in. Garry was actually selected. Unfortunately, in training today, he has had to pull out. That’s unfortunate for Garry, but we have always said it is about the squad, and nothing but the squad, and we are delighted for Huw to come in and be ready to go for Saturday.”
Pressed further on the sudden change, the head coach added: “It’s head-related again. I don’t know (the seriousness) at this stage. 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 in advance of Tuesday, fit and ready to play. No incident throughout the game at all. Same yesterday and nothing at all this morning, 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.”
Farrell praised Ringrose’s honesty in the difficult situation. “It is tough to do that [to rule yourself out]. 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 skipper Maro Itoje agreed. “Absolutely gutted for Garry. I played against Garry at U20s, and we have both had our international careers since then. To play with him and get to know him over the past few months has been a real privilege and honour, so I am gutted for him that he is in this position.
“But it also, as you guys have alluded to, 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, and when push comes to shove, you see who really does it and Garry is the man who really did it.”
Switching to other areas of selection, here is what Farrell had to say:
The injury to Tuipulotu: “Sione has a little bit of a tight hamstring there, so that influences that. When you have got a little bit of a tight hamstring, it influences how you are possibly going to go. We made the call to go with Bundee in that regard.
“They will be good [the Aki/Jones midfield combination]. Well before this stage of the tour, the combinations have been absolutely fine, so Bundee and Huw will hit it off exactly like any other type of partnership.
“Bundee and Sione are very similar in many ways. Both direct, abrasive and combative type characters. Exactly what you want as far as your go-forward and gainline success and not just that, on the other side of the ball, they are pretty good there as well, so very similar in that regard.
“Sione is 100 per cent absolutely gutted (not to play in his hometown of Melbourne). He also knows that that’s rugby. Fairytales are not always written. Sione is a team man anyway, and the same with anyone who has missed out.”
The Porter/Genge rotation at loosehead: “We’d be delighted for either or and Schoey [Pierre Schoeman] as well to start the game. Ports had a role reversal last week, and he came on and did a great job. He is used to starting with a bang, and the nature of Ellis and how he plays the game, he will certainly add to us dynamically when he comes on the field.”
The injured McCarthy and Hansen: “The honest answer us we don’t know (about McCarthy) We’re not sending him home, which says everything in regards to we are giving him every chance to get fit and that is the medical advice as well… Mack isn’t fit for this weekend, he is exactly the same as Joe.”
Naming Morgan on the bench: “You have got to be ready to play as a back-rower in any type of position. From what we have seen of Jac all the way through this tour, he is more than able to add to the team.
Bringing Farrell Jnr onto the bench with Kinghorn: “With Blair back fit, it gives you a different dynamic on the bench covering the back three, which is pretty important, and Owen there too, giving you the option to cover 10/12.”
