Why Garry Ringrose Lions self-reporting concussion symptoms can be a significant moment for rugby

The decision has ruled the centre out of the British and Irish Lions team for the second Test against Australia, potentially one of the most important games of his career. But the bigger picture is a recognition that welfare comes first, something that has not always been the case in a sport where head injuries are an occupational hazard.

There are nine Ireland players in Andy Farrell’s team for the match in Melbourne on Saturday but it would have been ten had Ringrose not told the head coach shortly before he was due to announce the team that his concussion symptoms had returned.

The Leinster player sat out the win over the Wallabies in the first Test after suffering a concussion in the victory over the Brumbies on July 9. The 30-year-old was stood down for the compulsory 12 days, ending his hopes of playing in the 27-19 win in Brisbane last Saturday.

Right thing to do, 100%

He made his comeback in Tuesday’s 24-19 win over the First Nations & Pasifika XV, coming on after 16 minutes to replace the injured Darcy Graham and proving his fitness to Farrell. He was poised to replace Huw Jones at outside centre in this weekend’s second Test but felt something was not right and informed Farrell as he came off the training field.

“It’s very easy to keep it to yourself and lie and not be honest and open,” said the head coach. “It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100 per cent. For the team as well, not just for Garry.”

Farrell said there was no fresh incident in the Pasifika game or in training which triggered the latest setback and the player apparently feeling fit and ready to play. “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,” added Farrell.

Of course, it has not always been this way and players have been known to hide symptoms to protect their place in the team. Happily, more education around such matters has helped push it more to the forefront of the sport.

Comings and goings at centre

There must now be a doubt about Ringrose playing any further part in the tour, with the third Test to follow in Sydney a week on Saturday. His misfortune has allowed Jones to keep his place in the Test team as the Lions look to clinch the series this weekend with a game to spare.

The Glasgow Warriors centre will not, however, have his club-mate Sione Tuipulotu alongside him. Tuipulotu, who scored the opening try of the first Test and was looking forward to playing in his home state, has been ruled out with a tight hamstring and is replaced at inside centre by Bundee Aki. Farrell had wanted to pair Aki with Ringrose, replacing the Scottish centre combination with an Irish one, but instead it will be a mixed midfield.

It would have been harsh on Jones had he not been selected. The Edinburgh-born player was a threat in the first Test, having a try disallowed in the first half and then playing an important role in Dan Sheehan’s second-half score. Farrell’s preference is clearly to have centres who know each other well, which is understandable, and the Irish influence dominates his selection.

Ireland provide nine of the 15 starters

They account for 60 per cent of his second Test side, with seven of the nine Ireland starters coming from Leinster. Alongside them are four players from England and only two Scots, Jones and Finn Russell.

Aki’s inclusion is one of three changes made to the starting side. The other two are up front, with Andrew Porter replacing the benched Ellis Genge as loosehead prop and Ollie Chessum coming into the second row for Joe McCarthy who has failed to recover from a foot problem.

Blair Kinghorn is poised to win his first Test cap after the Scotland full-back was named on the bench but there is no place for Scott Cummings who impressed in the win over the First Nations and Pasifika team on Tuesday. Instead, it is yet another Leinster player who will provide second row cover, with James Ryan selected among the replacements.

Ben White, the Scotland scrum-half, is another who can consider himself unlucky not to be involved as Farrell opts again for Alex Mitchell as back-up to Jamison Gibson-Park. The coach has found room on the bench for his son after Owen Farrell also did well in the midweek win. The former England captain has not played a Test match since the 2023 Rugby World Cup but will cover stand-off and centre for the Lions in Melbourne.

Kinghorn, meanwhile, looks like he will finally step up to the Test stage after a disrupted tour. He joined late due to his commitments with Toulouse whom he helped with the Top 14 title with a victory over Bordeaux in the final in Paris on the same day the Lions played Western Force in Perth in the tour opener. His belated Lions debut came on the wing in the win over the New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney on July 5. He started the next game four days later at full-back, against the Brumbies, but was forced off after 28 minutes with a knee injury which ruled him out of consideration for the first Test.

He proved his fitness with a confident attacking performance against the First Nations and Pasifika team this week and will provide cover for the back three at the MCG on Saturday as the Lions look to win a Test series for the first time in 12 years.

How they’ll line up in the second Test

Wallabies v British & Irish Lions, Second Test, MCG, Melbourne, Saturday, 11:00 BST.

Australia: 15. Tom Wright; 14. Max Jorgensen, 13. Joseph. Aukuso Suaalii, 12. Len Ikitau, 11. Harry Potter; 10. Tom Lynagh, 9. Jake Gordon; 1. James Slipper, 2. David Porecki, 3. Allan Alaalatoa, 4. Nick Frost, 5. Will Skelton, 6. Rob Valetini, 7. Fraser McReight, 8. Harry Wilson. Replacements: 16. Billy Pollard, 17. Angus Bell, 18. Tom Robertson, 19. Jeremy Williams, 20. Langi Gleeson, 21. Carlo Tizzano, 22. Tate McDermott, 23. Ben Donaldson.

Lions: 15. Hugo Keenan (Ire); 14. Tommy Freeman (Eng), 13. Huw Jones (Sco), 12. Bundee Aki (Ire), 11. James Lowe (Ire); 10. Finn Russell (Sco), 9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Ire); 1. Andrew Porter (Ire), 2. Dan Sheehan (Ire), 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ire), 4. Maro Itoje (Eng; capt), 5. Ollie Chessum (Eng), 6. Tadhg Beirne (Ire), 7. Tom Curry (Eng), 8. Jack Conan (Ire). Replacements: 16. Ronan Kelleher (Ire), 17. Ellis Genge (Eng), 18. Will Stuart (Eng), 19. James Ryan (Ire), 20. Jac Morgan (Wal), 21. Alex Mitchell (Eng), 22. Owen Farrell (Eng), 23. Blair Kinghorn (Sco).