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And so, after six games and five wins, after 235 points scored and 81 points conceded, after 35 tries for and 12 against, we’ve arrived at the so-called business end of the tour.

The Lions are heading back to Brisbane on Sunday for the first Test against the Wallabies the following Saturday. The preamble is now complete, mercifully. The phony war is officially over. Hallelujah. It’s been pretty dull.

Saturday’s match against an AUNZ Invitational XV was a little different. Things happened. Garry Ringrose’s injury became known and the possible spin-off consequences are intriguing.

The news of Ringrose’s head knock and the fact that he will miss the first Test came mid-match in Adelaide. Huw Jones, the other outside centre in the squad, was conveniently tearing it up at the time.

“Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction,” head coach Andy Farrell confirmed after the rout of the AUNZ Invitational side. “He had headaches for a day and it carried on the next day. So he went through concussion protocols and failed those, unfortunately.”

A day that started with Ringrose and Bundee Aki looking very much like the Test match midfield (with the Scottish counterparts Jones and Sione Tuipulotu not making the squad) looks to have completely turned on its head.

Jones, gaining form after recovering from injury and outstanding in Adelaide, will start at 13 against the Wallabies. Farrell talks a lot about cohesion, so it would make sense for Tuipulotu to join him. It was always going to be the two Irish centres or the two Scottish centres, despite all the mixing and matching in earlier games.

If it’s Jones and Tuipulotu, then what happens to Aki, a bit of a force of nature in the red jersey? The bench? Well, not really. You fancy that Owen Farrell will cover 12, as well as 10, so maybe Aki misses out altogether. Ringrose misses the game and there’s a butterfly effect.

“I actually don’t know a lot about it,” Jones said after the game of the news about Ringrose. “No-one told me, which I think was probably a good thing because then it didn’t mess with my head.

“He played really well on Wednesday [against the Brumbies]. He’s great, one of the best guys I’ve met. We shared a room in Perth and I really got 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 be very happy with that and then try and grab it with both hands.”

When Andy Farrell was asked in the post-match press conference about his back-row and whether the identity of the guy who’s going to wear the number seven jersey has become clearer, he took out his straight bat and knocked the question out of the park, Don Bradman style.

“We’ve got great options there, so we’re delighted with that.”

Anyway… Jac Morgan was very impressive again on Saturday. The game turned into a hammering, but when it was still a contest, Morgan was intense and influential.

Ian Foster was in charge of the AUNZ team, and as a former All Blacks coach he’s not a bad sounding board on this whole Lions back-row. Asked which of the Lions impressed him the most, he was pretty direct.

“You can’t help but be impressed with Morgan at the moment,” he said. “He’s going good as a loosie [loose forward]. There’ll be a lot of consideration about that loose forward trio, but they’re mobile, they’re skilful and he [Morgan] is a tough player.

“Look, he just works hard. You could see that we were a bit short in some of our connections at the breakdown on early phases a couple of times and he made a bit of a meal of that. He’s good in that space, but he had great support too.”

The pantomime baddie came on for the last 30 minutes, which is 30 minutes more than he’s had since early May. There was a little booing.

You’d imagine that, for Farrell, the only thing more disconcerting than fans booing him is fans not booing him. It’s expected these days – as much a part of his rugby existence as anything else.

“He did OK, he did OK, as did many others,” said his father, later. No danger of going over the top there. “There were some great individual performances, wasn’t there? But I suppose those individual performances gelled together as a collective.”

It felt like Farrell Sr couldn’t wait to get away from talking about his son, but it was a fine cameo – a nice link with the excellent Ben White in the build-up to Scott Cummings’ try and a clever chip through to Henry Pollock later on, among other things.

The caveat is that, by the time he arrived, the game was done and the AUNZ side were a busted flush.

The Leinster and Ireland full-back was under significant pressure going into Saturday. Still not totally free of illness, and with the memory of his poor performance against the Waratahs still fresh in the mind, Keenan couldn’t afford to fail.

With Blair Kinghorn out of the first Test, he was the only out-and-out full-back left standing. And his coaches needed him to come good. He did. Right from the off, he looked himself again. He was full energy and intent.

“I thought he was excellent,” said Farrell. “There were some great, tough, gritty performances.”

The Lions head for Brisbane at about midday on Sunday, about 03:00 BST in the UK. “We’ve got a normal week coming up,” said Farrell, after battling through so many abnormal ones featuring games and flights and training ground walk-throughs at a devastatingly rapid pace.

“When we get to Brisbane, we’ll have a coaches’ meeting like we always do and discuss how the week is going to unfold,” he said.

“We train Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. We’ll get to a performance day on Wednesday and everyone will know where they’re at.

“I just said to the players that selection is going to be unbelievably difficult. That’s how it should be. I know that we’ve got a group that’s as cohesive as it gets and they’re all rowing together no matter what because, like I said during the week, it takes a squad to win a series.

“The lads who get picked in the first Test, they’ll be the lucky ones to represent the group, but they’ve also got to earn the right to keep that jersey for the second Test as well.”

So who are the lucky ones? Another punt at picking Farrell’s brains…

Keenan, Freeman (Hansen), Jones, Tuipulotu (Farrell), Lowe, Russell, Gibson-Park (Mitchell); Genge (Porter), Sheehan (Kelleher), Furlong (Bealham), Itoje, McCarthy (Beirne), Chessum, Morgan, Conan (Pollock)

There are a number of factors which turn an exciting rivalry into an epic, enduring duel that transcends the sport.

The core talent. The blend of personalities. The gripping encounters on the biggest stages.

The tussle between Italy’s Jannik Sinner and Spain’s Carlos Alcaraz – ranked one and two in the men’s game – has all those components.

It also has arguably the most important ingredient: each player being pushed to a greater height by the other.

On Sunday, the pair will meet again in the Wimbledon final – where Sinner aims to win his first title and Alcaraz bids for a rare third in a row.

A renewal of their acquaintance at the All England Club comes just 35 days after Alcaraz beat Sinner in an all-time classic French Open final.

Asked about their rivalry, Alcaraz said: “I’m not going to say I’m feeling like when Rafa [Nadal] and Roger [Federer] are playing.

Sinner, 23, and 22-year-old Alcaraz have created a duopoly in the men’s game over the past two seasons.

Because of his brilliance, Sinner has remained the world number one – despite serving a three-month doping ban this year in a case which rocked the sport.

The pair have gained a grip on the Grand Slam tournaments, winning the past six majors between them.

Their epic French Open battle was another demonstration of how the absorbing rivalry – which the ATP Tour has long pinned its hopes on filling the Federer-Nadal-Novak Djokovic void – could be a blockbuster for years to come.

“You cannot compare what the ‘Big Three’ did for 15-plus years. [Our rivalry] is not that big yet,” said three-time Grand Slam champion Sinner, who is aiming for his first non-hard court major.

“This is the second consecutive Grand Slam that we are in the final and playing each other – I believe it’s good for the sport.

“The more rivalries we have from now on, the better it is, because people want to see young player going against each other.”

The quality, excitement and tension of the recent Roland Garros final accelerated interest in the pair.

Alcaraz fighting back from two sets down – and having saved three championship points – to win a five-setter in over five hours has whetted the appetite for Wimbledon.

The five-time major champion expects to be pushed “to the limit” again at the All England Club.

“It’s going to be a great day, a great final. I’m just excited about it,” he said.

The contrasting personalities are reminiscent of another pair who created a rivalry which continues to endure almost 50 years later.

Bjorn Borg was the ‘ice’ compared to John McEnroe’s ‘fire’ and there are similar characteristics in Sinner and Alcaraz.

Sinner is ice-cold during matches and little appears to faze the mild-mannered Italian – on or off court.

He was able to stay sanguine during the doping controversy and has also moved on quickly from the brutal nature of his French Open defeat.

“We keep talking about the fact that he’s got really good self-awareness and puts everything into perspective,” Sinner’s coach Darren Cahill told BBC Sport.

“I think that’s part of the reason why he’s been able to do what he’s been able to do here.

“I would have been heartbroken after losing a final where I had match points, but he sees the big picture really well and is why he’s able to bounce back so quickly.”

Alcaraz is not as combustible as the famously volatile McEnroe. But he does possess a more colourful side than Sinner.

He bellows ‘Vamos’ when big moments go his way in matches and also regularly shows his emotion by breaking out into beaming smiles.

The natural warmth and authenticity of the Spaniard, plus his array of stunning shot-making, makes him relatable to fans.

Sinner has been the dominant player on the ATP Tour for the past two seasons, winning 98 of his 109 matches (90%) and lifting nine titles.

In the same timeframe, Alcaraz has won 102 of his 120 matches (85%) and claimed nine titles.

But it is the Spaniard who is dominating their head-to-head record.

The triumph on the Paris clay was his fifth straight victory over Sinner, extending his dominance to eight wins from their 12 career meetings.

“On the other hand if Alcaraz doesn’t bring his A game then Sinner will win every time. So it’s going to be extremely interesting.”

Alcaraz has moved through the gears nicely at the All England Club and goes into the final – unlike Sinner – having suffered no injury problems over the past fortnight.

After beating Djokovic in the semi-finals, Sinner said the elbow injury he suffered in the fourth round against Grigor Dimitrov would provide “no issues” on Sunday.

“I will give a slight edge to Carlos as a favourite because of the two titles he’s won here and the way he’s playing and the confidence he has right now,” seven-time champion Djokovic said.

“But it’s just a slight advantage because Jannik is hitting the ball extremely well.