Trio return for final Lions Test but ‘devastated' Garry Ringrose misses out
McCarthy, Tuipulotu and Hansen are in contention for the Sydney showdown after missing Saturday's 29-26 victory over the Wallabies that clinched the series with a game to spare.
All three have completed their rehab for their respective foot, hamstring and foot injuries and took part in Tuesday's low-key training session.
However, Ringrose has been left 'devastated' as the 12-day minimum return-to-play protocol for concussion means he will miss the entirety of a series which he entered as first choice outside centre.
The Ireland star self-reported his concussion symptoms shortly before the team for the second Test was named last Thursday, resulting in his withdrawal from the starting XV.
'Garry was playing some amazing rugby throughout this tour,' attack coach Andrew Goodman said.
'It's been a dream of his for so long to represent the Lions and he's managed to do that, but he wanted to be a Test-match Lion so it's been devastating for him.
'He's disappointed for himself, but he's getting around everyone and making sure he helps prepare everyone as much as he can.'
Andy Farrell announces his team for the third Test on Thursday and must decide to what extent he should freshen up his matchday 23 given they went toe to toe with the Wallabies for 80 gripping minutes at Melbourne Cricket Ground.
There is also the question of whether to rotate in players as reward for those who have missed out so far in the series, but Goodman has discounted this approach.
'It will be the best team available to win the series. That might look like some changes, that might look like consistency,' he said.
'You've got to reward form when guys have been playing well and are match-hardened in those Test matches. It is a balance.'
The Lions celebrated their success with friends and family for two days but have now hardened their resolve to become the first side to record a whitewash since the 1927 visit to Argentina and first side to go unbeaten in the Tests since the 1974 expedition to South Africa.
'It's huge. It's everything for us as a group to get excited about,' Goodman said.
'It was 1974 the last time a Lions team went through the Test series unbeaten, so there's huge motivation for the group.
'Andy has been massive on that since the start, his expectation not just of the players but us as management and coaches to be the most successful team.
'It has been driving us not just as players, but as a management group every day to get better every day and push each other forward.
'After two hard, physical Tests it's about getting the battery filled up and making sure we're good to go by the end of the week.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
23 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Tired England endure ugly case of the drops without superego Stokes in the field
Fielding is an attitude, Shane Warne would often say. To the extent it could be tempting at times to conclude Shane Warne didn't have 37 different nuggets of well-thumbed cricketing wisdom, he just said the same nugget of well-thumbed cricketing wisdom 37 times. But Warne was of course right, as he was about all cricket things, as you might expect from any self-respecting genius-level leg-spin, poker-playing, bikini-magnate-squiring wunderkind. What attitude was expressed by England's fielding on day three of this fine-margins final Test, as India batted their way to a lead of 373? What kind of vibe, aura, energy is being projected by a unit that dropped a total of six catches in India's second innings at the Oval, the most by any England team in almost 20 years? Judging by the current range of go-tos, the obvious choices range between super-cool, jocular moralising and inexplicably pissy. Maybe England were just jaded by repetition. In the absence of Chris Woakes, Ollie Pope spent almost all of the first two sessions rotating his three tall, bang-it-in right-arm quicks, in what was surely one the most jarringly samey England bowling attacks of all time, death by right arm bang-it-in. For long periods this induced a kind of dog days late-summer ennui. It was at least a chance to experience in real-time the exact meaning of of the English word 'overton', which describes a state of glazed and sated melancholy induced by watching excessive amounts of lumbering fast-medium bowled by a man in a visible black nylon under-vest. As in, by 2pm the entire Oval crowd was languishing in a state of deep Overton. It has felt at times in this Test as though Jamie Overton has been picked purely for his air of menace at on-field flashpoints, like a doorman or a bailiff's assistant. But he found some rhythm before tea and seemed to swing the ball more than anyone else. Otherwise it was tempting to wonder if Pope might opt for plan B: Harry Brook bowling lobs, with added shame-chat from the infield. 'You're going to build an unassailable third innings lead against this?' In the event the drip-drip of drops did provide a punctation to the afternoon as India progressed to 396 all out. The final list began the day before, and reads like this. 4.5 overs Yashasvi Jaiswal dropped by Brook off Gus Atkinson. Edged, second slip, travelling, burst the reverse cup. Drop rating: medium. 12.2 overs Jaiswal off Josh Tongue, dropped by Liam Dawson. Hard flat hook shot that travelled 40 yards straight on to Dawson's clavicle. Drop rating: lost it in the lights. Mild. With notes of village. 14.3 overs Sai Sudarson dropped by Zak Crawley off Overton. Third slip, wide, good height, parried. Drop rating: regulation bad. 25.3 overs Akash Deep, Crawley again, off Tongue, diving to his left, hit him on the wrist. Drop rating: oh ffs. 53.4 overs Karun Nair off Overton by Brook at second slip. Tough one, Crawley super-manning across, low out of the fingers. Drop rating: I might go home. 57.4 overs Jaiswal dropped off Overton by Ben Duckett at leg gully, fingertips, full stretch. Put there for the purpose: England's tiniest man. Drop rating: hold me, I'm cold. So … so cold. The first of Saturday's misses set the tone for what followed, spur for a thrilling nightwatchman's half century. The combined run cost of all six was 127 runs. The last of them was England's 20th of the series. Sign up to The Spin Subscribe to our cricket newsletter for our writers' thoughts on the biggest stories and a review of the week's action after newsletter promotion In between Jaiswal was given space to compile an assured century. This was defined by his super-strength square cut, which ranges from the beautifully sculpted lift, arching his body into an S and deflecting over slips and sometimes the rope; and the more violent sabre-slashing fours and twos. Deep kept him company, standing tall and clumping it like a tribute Crawley act. The last time he'd got past seven was December 2024 in Brisbane. Shubman Gill glittered briefly. His dismissal, as in the first innings, seemed to be a function of simply being too good to score runs, dangerously in form, too perfect, upright, balletic for this world. Gill was lbw playing across a straight one and reviewed because it seemed impossible he hadn't actually hit it. England stuck to the task gamely but were walloped on to the back foot by Washington Sundar's stunning 39 ball 50, Sundar taking the drop out of the equation by lifting some short stuff with the new ball into the crowd. Why did this happen? There is always talk of the 'bad seeing ground'. But this has not notably been the case here. You cannot do that, Ben Stokes! That was on a dark day at the Oval. Seemed OK. We also know that nobody wants to drop a catch. Is this helpful? Nobody wants to nick behind either, or averge 29.9 as an opener. Cricket is basically made out of things nobody wants to do. Take those away and what you have left is: no cricket. But England are less focused in the field without Stokes. That bristling ginger-bearded superego at cover does make a difference, real and intangible. There were other moments of sloppiness. Jamie Smith has had to perform a rhythmic gymnastics routine behind the stumps. Overton bowling outside off stump with five fielders on the leg side. Is the problem here a drop? Plus England look understandably tired. It is an overlooked aspect of the modern schedule that, while five Test series have always happened, players often do this now with zero cricket either side, a sudden brain-mangling burst plonked between periods of rest. The schedule is year-round. Levels of focus, intensity and load come and go. Players are rested, then hammered. Nobody really knows what the effects of this are on body, sinews and mental reserves. England took the final Indian wicket here in non-drop double fielder mode, Pope and Crawley circling together under Sundar's skied hoick, reaching up and taking it, somehow, in their combined 20 fingers. There will be a result now with two days left and England needing 324 runs to win with nine wickets remaining. By the end of Saturday those extra 127 runs felt like a product of gravity, fatigue and wear-and-tear. Also, it has to be said, collateral to a great but deeply gruelling series.
BreakingNews.ie
23 minutes ago
- BreakingNews.ie
Andy Farrell not ruling out leading the Lions for New Zealand tour
Andy Farrell has left the door open to leading the next British and Irish Lions tour after presiding over a 2-1 series victory against Australia. The Lions' dream of finishing their tour Down Under with a 100 per cent record ended with a 22-12 defeat in the final Test at a rain lashed Accor Stadium, but they return home having achieved the main objective. Advertisement A first series triumph since 2013 puts Farrell in pole position to take charge of the next expedition to New Zealand and the Ireland boss admits his passion for the Lions has only grown over the last two months. Series winners, 2025 🏆🦁 #Lions2025 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) August 2, 2025 'Everyone knows what I think about this concept and I suppose that says it all,' he said. 'I love everything that the Lions is about and I've thoroughly, thoroughly enjoyed the last eight weeks. 'There are always ups and there are always downs, but the inner circle is a special place to be. Advertisement 'Read into that what you want but I suppose four years, there's a long time between drinks isn't there?' Andy Farrell and Australia coach Joe Schmidt shake hands during the final Test (David Davies/PA) An extraordinary third Test that produced three failed HIAs and saw James Ryan knocked out was paused for 37 minutes early in the second-half after the players left the field because of lightening strikes in the area. Australia then used up the full 10 minutes available to warm-up for the resumption of play, while the Lions only took five minutes. TV footage from the Lions' changing room during the break showed Finn Russell and Tom Curry using their phones. 'We agreed on 10 minutes for the warm-up and through the advice from our experts in that field we only made the call to come out five minutes before so that we would be ready to go,' Farrell said. Advertisement 'I hope I'm not in a game like that again, actually. Rigor mortis was setting in at one stage there for the lads! I suppose that is what you come to expect with a schedule like the Lions schedule. We have seen it all now haven't we! 'We were trying to work out what the rules were and what was going to happen. At one stage it looked like it was going be 45 minutes then it was pulled back to 30 minutes. A huge thank you to: Australia 🇦🇺 Our Support Staff 👨⚕️ The Sea of Red 🌊🔴 The Players 🏉 ...and everyone who helped make the #Lions2025 Tour a truly unforgettable experience 🙏 — British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) August 2, 2025 'There were updates constantly coming in but the lads stayed relaxed enough, had five minutes of a warm-up and got the show back on the road. 'What came off the back of that is Australia hit the ground running and thoroughly deserved their win.' Advertisement Australia boss Joe Schmidt revealed his side had prepared for the incoming bad weather. 'We had been warned that there might be a bit of lightning, so we had a plan and with that plan we made sure that guys kept moving,' Schmidt said. 'We'd four balls in the changing room so guys could throw them around, so that guys could stay connected. 'We had a couple of bikes and different guys were rotating on and off the bikes. The rest of the time, it was just trying to get us organised for the restart.' Advertisement
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
Zak Crawley falls to last ball of day with England set 374 to win fifth Test
England will need to rewrite the record books with another spectacular chase after India left them chasing a mammoth 374 in the series deciding fifth Rothesay Test. The ground record at the Kia Oval stands at 263 and has stood since 1902 and an already epic challenge became even more difficult when Zak Crawley was cleaned up by a perfect Mohammed Siraj yorker with the last act of day three. Crawley and Ben Duckett chalked up the half-century before that last-gasp sucker punch, leaving 324 still to get with England closing on 50 for one. Yet a fearless England do not have far to look for inspiration, having chased 373 for five at Headingley in the first match of this series and their highest ever, 378 for three, against the same opponents at Edgbaston in 2022. That the target is so steep will still be a source of regret, India putting a patched up attack to the sword at several key moments. Yashasvi Jaiswal hit an unflappable 118 to lead the way, including a morale-crushing stand of 107 with nightwatcher Akash Deep in the morning session. Deep's colourful 66 was his highest score in any professional cricket and there was more pain to come from the bat of all-rounder Washington Sundar, who smashed four huge sixes in a late flurry worth 53 in 46 balls. England dropped three more catches on the day, taking their tally to six for the innings, adding to the work of their weary three-pronged seam attack. With Chris Woakes unable to bowl due to a dislocated shoulder, a trio thrown together hastily this week due to the absence of Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Brydon Carse were found wanting at times but kept charging in. They got through 79 overs between them, Josh Tongue claiming five for 125, Gus Atkinson three for 127 and Jamie Overton managed two for 98. The tourists were just 52 ahead and two down overnight but England were insipid in the opening session as they allowed India to add another 114 for the solitary wicket of Deep. Having been sent up the order on Friday evening to shield his captain, Deep fully embraced his free hit. He began with a handful of agricultural slogs across the line, most of which went in his favour, and eventually graduated to steering the ball to third man with soft hands. He should have been gone for 21, narrowly surviving Tongue's lbw shout on umpire's call and then edging the next delivery to third slip. But after a hat-trick of handling errors on day two, Crawley produced another as he failed to hold on. Ollie Pope disappeared to the dressing room 40 minutes into the session, seemingly to seek advice from head coach Brendon McCullum, but India continued to progress as a flurry of steers and thick edges skimmed into the same gap between third slip and gully. Deep passed fifty with three fours off the tiring Atkinson – showing off unexpected range with a square cut, an uppercut and a pull – but finally succumbed by popping a short ball from Overton to backward point. Gill arrived at the crease needing 32 to beat Sunil Gavaskar's national record of 774 runs in a series but fell for just 11 when Atkinson nailed him lbw with the first ball after lunch. Dismissing the prolific skipper lifted English spirits, with Atkinson adding Karun Nair for 17 when he edged behind, but Jaiswal's relentless march to the first hundred of the match dampened the enthusiasm. He was put down on 20 and 40 earlier in his innings but moved serenely to a 127-ball ton before Duckett's fumble at leg-slip gave him a third reprieve of the innings on 110. He ran out of lives when he slashed Tongue to deep third, with Overton the man to cling on, but a weary England had more problems to contend with. India added another 123 for their last four batters, taking the target from awkward, to tough and all the way to fiendishly difficult. The most galling damage was done by Sundar, one of last week's antagonist centurions at Old Trafford. While protecting last man Prasidh Krishna he smashed a furious 53, with four massive sixes and four fours, before finally underhitting one off Tongue to complete his five-wicket haul. Crawley and Pope both went for the catch, ending up in a tangle on the floor, but the former emerged with the ball safely pouched. There was enough time for 14 overs before stumps and England's top two did well to survive 13.4 of them before Siraj produced a magic ball to send India into day four with the wind in their sails.
