‘Ringrose doesn’t realise magnitude of his call’

Second Test match between Australia and the British and Irish Lions

Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday, July 26; 11:00 BST

Ugo Monye, a former wing, says Garry Ringrose’s decision to miss the British and Irish Lions team for the second Test against Australia on Saturday shows how seriously current players take concussions.

Ringrose was initially designated outside center for the Wallabies, but he revealed to head coach Andy Farrell that he was still experiencing persistent head injuries from the 9 July victory over the ACT Brumbies.

In a later revision of the plans, Scotland’s Huw Jones took Ringrose’s place at the outside center.

Garry Ringrose made a difficult decision, according to Monye, according to BBC Rugby Union Weekly.

He was scheduled to make his Test debut for the Lions this weekend, but he was completely selfless in it.

John Barclay, the former Scotland captain, called Ringrose’s decision “an amazing message to send out.”

It’s incredible, said Barclay, “even if he was saying, “I’m 50/50,” to then fall on the side of “I’m not playing,” is not worth it in what would be his biggest game of his career.

In a 36-24 victory over the Brumbies, Ringrose scored a try after playing an entire 80 minutes. However, a concussion from the game later developed.

Head coach Andy Farrell said at the time, “Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction.” He went through concussion protocols and failed because he had headaches for a day and they kept going the next day.

Ringrose made his comeback on the bench in Tuesday’s win over a First Nations and Pasifika team, replacing Darcy Graham after 16 minutes after missing his first Test win over the Wallabies.

Farrell claimed Ringrose had no issues with his recovery from that game and Wednesday’s training, but that he had symptoms that had returned on Thursday.

Players wear “smart” mouthguards that measure the size of the impact via the head’s acceleration, in addition to doctors who use video replays to assess collisions on the touchlines.

A warning is issued when a hit exceeds a predetermined threshold, and the player must be removed for a check.

Players who exhibit delayed symptoms can also be considered for World Rugby’s head injury assessment process.

Barclay claimed to have been unsure whether he had fully recovered from a concussion he had sustained while serving on club duty for Scarlets during the 2017 autumn internationals.

He said, “The autumn tests were coming up and I thought I felt okay, but I wasn’t sure.

“I believed I probably was, but now that I’ve looked back, should I have played.” Possibly . Not likely.

Garry Ringrose, who has a history of concussions, is aware of how serious it is. It’s a massive, incredibly selfless choice.

With Ringrose’s departure, the Lions will line up inside Jones, a midfield duo that has only started once together in the eight games the 2025 Lions have played.

However, Monye speculated that brute power may be more crucial than intricate play patterns given the weekend rain forecast for Melbourne.

He claimed that Saturday is not the day for “pressure through an attack” and “multi-phases.”

“I believe that works as an equalizer if it is hammering down with rain.”

It’s not going to be that kind of game if you’re concerned about cohesion and this and that.

“I believe it will be probably five or six phases before the ball is eliminated,” according to the analyst.

Owen Farrell, who started 80 minutes of his career in inside center against the First Nations and the Pasifika XV, is covering midfield on the bench.

The 33-year-old four-time tourist is renowned for his distribution and defense, but he lacks Sione Tuipulotu or Aki’s gainline power.

Although you can’t really rank potential center partnerships, Aki and Jones are two extremely talented players, according to Monye.

What that center partnership looks like in the final 30 minutes is the only thing I’m worried about. Will Aki and Farrell be the stars? Will Farrell and Jones be the pair?

That will change, I predict.

The 12s chosen for this tour, according to Barclay, play completely different roles from Owen Farrell, Aki and Sione Tuipulotu.