British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje has hailed centre Garry Ringrose for his selfless decision to withdraw from the team ahead of the second Test against Australia in Melbourne.
Ringrose was originally named to start in the number 13 jersey alongside Bundee Aki in an all-Irish midfield pairing, but he reported a recurrence of concussion symptoms just after Thursday morning’s training session at Xavier College.
Head coach Andy Farrell had finalised the starting lineup on Wednesday evening, but Ringrose’s symptoms—linked to an earlier head injury sustained during the Lions' match against the AUSNZ Invitational XV on July 12—forced a late change.
Scotland’s Huw Jones has been reselected in the outside centre role, reprising his partnership with Aki from the Lions' 27-19 first Test victory in Brisbane.
Ringrose had completed a 12-day stand-down period and returned to play in the midweek game against the First Nations & Pasifika XV, where he came off the bench early in the match after Darcy Graham suffered an injury.
Despite showing no signs of trouble during that game or the following day, Ringrose raised concerns about how he felt after Thursday’s training session—leading to an immediate and precautionary decision to withdraw.
Speaking about Ringrose’s decision, Itoje said, “Firstly, absolutely gutted for Garry. I played against Garry at Under-20s and we both had our international careers.
"To play with him and get to know him over the last couple of months has been a real privilege and honour.
“But, also, it 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. When push comes to shove, you see who really does it. Garry is a man who really did it.”
The Lions will head into Saturday’s Test with a record nine Irishmen in the starting lineup, seven of whom are from Leinster, including Ringrose, whose absence is felt deeply within the squad. However, Itoje emphasized that the team remains focused and motivated to clinch a series win in Melbourne.