Confirmation that Garry Ringrose has been ruled out of the first Test due to a delayed concussion which was caused by a blow to the head in the 74th minute of the Lions’ midweek win over the Brumbies may, or may not, mean that Bundee Aki misses out as well on next Saturday’s clash with the Wallabies in Brisbane.
The Irish pairing had looked marginal favourites over the Scottish combination of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones going into this weekend’s game against an AUNZ Invitational XV in the Adelaide Oval after impressing in the 36-24 win over the Brumbies.
Aki looked close to his sharpest and strongest in Canberra, while Ringrose scored the pick of the Lions’ five tries – having also scored in the wins over the Force and the Reds. That was Andy Farrell’s fifth midfield pairing in five games, and the first time Aki and Ringrose had reprised their Irish partnership in Lions red.
But after the Lions’ 48-0 win in Adelaide, Andy Farrell confirmed: “Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction, he had headaches for a day and it carried on for the next day, so he went through concussion protocols and failed those unfortunately.
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“So unfortunately for him and for us he is [ruled out for] 12 days so that puts him out of the first Test but puts him back in for the midweek game before the second Test. You don’t mess around with these things and it is unfortunate for him and everyone else. He is in good spirits anyway, so we crack on.”
Meanwhile, the Lions have called up Saracens and England hooker Jamie George, and Ireland and Leinster prop Thomas Clarkson.
News of Ringrose having to stand down for 12 days due to the concussion he also suffered in Ireland’s win over Scotland in Murrayfield last February was kept from the rest of the squad, including Tuipulotu and Jones, until after the game in Adelaide.
“No one told me, which I think was probably a good thing, because then it didn’t mess with my head,” said Jones. “So coming into this I was actually sort of like, ‘it’s another game’.”
“He [Ringrose] played bloody well on Wednesday. He’s great; actually one of the best guys I’ve met. We shared a room in Perth. I really get on with him. We’ve been working together loads, the four of us, Sione and Bundee as well, to try and get all of our connections, so I’m gutted for him.
“But if that means that I get an opportunity next week then I’ll obviously be very happy with that and then try and grab it with both hands.”
Jones admitted it was brutally tough on the 30-year-old Ringrose, who had unluckily missed out on the last two Lions tours. “You hate to see it. You hate to see someone get hurt, because we’re all in it together when that [Test] team is named. The last couple of weeks have been a really good set-up for everyone just to play, connect on and off the field and try and get ready. Now at this point, everybody’s trying to put their hand up to get in that Test team.”
Farrell has strived to ensure all midfield combinations are viable options in matches after limited training time together. Yet this was a second outing for the Tuipulotu-Jones combination and, in building a side from scratch, familiar combinations have to be a factor.
The Glasgow/Scottish duo were impressive against the Waratahs a week ago, when one of Jones’ two tries came from a no-look Tuipulotu short pass, and outplayed the Invitational side’s All Blacks midfield pairing of David Havili and Ngani Laumape in Adelaide.
If Farrell is inclined to plump for one pairing over the other − and Finn Russell looks nailed on to start at outhalf alongside Jamison Gibson-Park − Aki may miss out to a 10-12-13 Scottish axis. Then again, there was a nice balance to the Aki-Jones combination which was tried against the Reds, when the Lions won convincingly by 52-12.
A week is a long time on a Lions tour. Having overcome the illness which forced him to withdraw from the Reds’ game before making a belated and off-colour Lions debut a week ago against the Waratahs, Hugo Keenan looked much more like his true self in the Adelaide Oval.
Given Blair Kinghorn’s misfortune, Keenan looks sure to start against the Wallabies in Brisbane next Saturday and despite Duhan van der Merwe’s walk-in hat-trick, James Lowe remains favourite to start on the left wing. But Mack Hansen’s all-purpose, all-action display in Adelaide has made the choice between him and Tommy Freeman on the right wing even more difficult to call.
“Mack, yeah, was a nice link, he always made the extra man. Broke a few tackles, good in the aerial game as well so he’ll be pleased with his performance,” said Farrell snr.
That was effusive by his standards and needless to say he was even more inclined not to overstate the classy cameo off the bench of his son Owen, who looked every inch the quality, four-Tour option at 10 or 12 and has swiftly become a real option for the Tests for both position.
The week ahead will feature some tough decisions for Farrell.
