British & Irish Lions vs Wallabies Second Test Preview: Andy Farrell hails honest and squad spirit

With two days to go before what could turn out to be the decider of the British & Irish Lion’s tour of Australia, the second test match in Melbourne, Head Coach Andy Farrell praises the honesty and team spirit of his Lions and commends Irish Centre Garry Ringrose on his decision to step back from the second test due to lingering concussion issues.

Ringrose, 30, came off the bench in Tuesday’s nail-biter against the First Nations & Pasifika XV earlier than expected at minute 16 to replace the injured but valiant Darcy Graham, who, unfortunately, soon after making his Lions debut and landing an impressive try, sustained a tour-ending knee injury, which forced the Scottish winger to depart.

During mid-week training, the Leinster Inside Centre voluntarily withdrew himself from the pre-match preparation, reporting lingering symptoms of concussion sustained in the win over ACT Brumbies two weeks ago.

For exclusive stories and all the detailed rugby news you need, subscribe to The Rugby Paper website, digital edition, or newspaper from as little as 14p a day.

Team News

Farrell has made seven changes to Saturday’s lineup with three on the field and four on the bench, including a record-breaking nine Irish starters.

The selected team sends a clear message that not only the British & Irish Lions respect their wounded opponents, who will welcome the Lions to a never-before-played-in venue at The Melbourne Cricket Ground, but Andy Farrell’s strong choice of Lions also shows that he is prepared for a true test battle come Saturday.

Speaking in the early hours of Thursday, Farrell provided updates on the injured Joe McCarthy and Mack Hansen, both of whom are not selected and went on to praise his team’s spirit, both those selected and those who didn’t make it this time, along with the team’s overall ability to adapt to new combinations.

Andy Farrell

“We’re not sending (Joe McCarthy) home, which says everything, and we’re giving him every chance to get fit, which is the medical advice as well, and Mack Hansen isn’t fit for this weekend. He is exactly the same as Joe.”

“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.”

“With anyone who has missed out, to a man, all the players who haven’t made the squad this week for whatever reason, be it through injury or not selected, every single one of them has been rowing forward by putting the team first, and that’s very evident in how we’ve trained today.”

“It’s not just the 10/12 combination anymore that’s long gone, it’s all about the combinations throughout the backline and the team itself, and everyone’s got a responsibility as far as that’s concerned.”

“That’s been spoken about from day one when we met as a group, the privileged ones that get the opportunity to do something special and hopefully create a bit of history.

“There’s a determined Australian side that’s in our way and they’ll try and stop us from doing that, so it’s a hell of a test.”

By Chris Collyer

READ MORE: Garry Ringrose praised after ‘selfless’ concussion withdrawal from British and Irish Lions squad