Garry Ringrose hoping Marvel cameo can put him Test picture
Ringrose missed the first Test win against the Wallabies on Saturday due to concussion, but having come through the return to play protocols, he took his place in the matchday squad in Melbourne today, for what would have been an ideal tune-up ahead of Saturday's second Test at the MCG.
Attempting to read between the lines, the fact he was named on the bench rather than the starting XV looked like a nod towards a short cameo at Marvel Stadium, and possibly a route back into the Test side.
Alas, an early injury for Darcy Graham on his Lions debut saw the Ireland international (below) togged out and ready to go, playing more than an hour, and impressing despite the Lions' clunky overall display.
"Any chance to represent the Lions, I've got to pinch myself," he said, following the five-point win.
"It's something I would have dreamed of and everyone in their dreams of doing so to get a chance to be out on the pitch was brilliant."
The 30-year-old had arguably been the standout player in the warm-up fixtures before picking up a concussion late in the win against the Brumbies a fortnight ago.
Scotland's Huw Jones started ahead of Ringrose last weekend in Brisbane, and while the Ireland international is hoping he's done enough to earn a second Test call, he's prepared to row in behind whatever selection is made.
"It's the team first. Wherever I fit in to help the team win, I'll be all in on that.
"Yeah, happy out with the win today and then it's kind of a cool challenge in that it's a Test game in a few days and it's all hands on deck from tomorrow morning really.
"Everyone is there for the team and I've been lucky enough to work with Faz [Andy Farrell] and a couple of coaches for so long that I've just complete trust in their decision making and back whatever it is and wherever my role fits in, then as I say, go all in on that.
"It's the nature of the beast. If you weren't dealing with that little battle there's some other little battle that one's dealing with and everyone has their own story that they're trying to do themselves proud for their teammates, and family, so we're all in the same boat in that regard."
If Ringrose does start on Saturday, then it could potentially be a change of both centres.
The Irish pair of Ringrose and Aki have been preferred as a unit, as has the Jones and Sione Tuipulotu partnership.
And having come up against the Scottish pair often, both with Leinster and Ireland, Ringrose has gained a new appreciation for how they work in tandem.
"To work with Sione and Huw, and Bundee as well is brilliant.
"At the start of the campaign, we'd challenge ourselves to be really open and honest with each other and try to get the best out of all of us. Whoever's out there on the day is representing the whole centre group. So whatever combination it is, there's a standard expected to deliver on so that nothing changes for this week.
"Without being too clever, what has impressed me most [about Jones and Tuipulotu] is their skill at the line. What is expected of centres is to be able to carry when it's tight, play through the line when it's on, then pull the trigger if the space is out wide. Those two are exceptional at that.
"It's been brilliant training against them, training with them, picking their brains on decision-making based on what they see.
"From playing against Scotland and watching them play for Glasgow, it's unreal to actually work with them and have those conversations. They've been brilliant from that perspective, so I've definitely learned off them and still learning off them in every meeting.
"They've unbelievably intelligent, skilful, physical, and really both of them are all-court in what they do."
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
10 minutes ago
- RTÉ News
Jack Conan: 'Poignant' Katie Taylor message inspired Lions win
Jack Conan has revealed how a message from Katie Taylor helped inspire the British and Irish Lions as they wrapped up their series with a game to spare against the Wallabies. The Lions staged an epic comeback to defeat Australia on Saturday at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, coming from 18 points down to win 29-26 after Hugo Keenan's try with the final play of the game. Ahead of the Test, scrum coach John Fogarty spoke about the inspirational presentation from former Lions captain Martin Johnson, who handed out the game jerseys. And Conan says they were also given a motivational message from one of Ireland's greatest ever sportspeople. "We had a video from Katie Taylor earlier in the week and it was unbelievably poignant and powerful," he said. "It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all." From one Bray native to another, that message from the 2012 Olympic gold medalist, and current undisputed world lightweight champion struck a chord with Conan in particular. "Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. "She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. "And to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leant on as well, because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. "Lads absolutely loved it, and it meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy, it resonated with everyone. "It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant." Conan had the best seat in the house for the winning try from Keenan, outside the full-back's left shoulder when he got the ball from scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park. On Saturday night, Andy Farrell admitted he was calling for Keenan to pass the ball to his team-mate and take advantage of the mismatch, with Conan standing out opposite wing Max Jorgensen. And the number 8, who could have scored the opening try of the game but for a ball-and-all tackle from James Slipper, joked that he was robbed of a career highlight by his Leinster team-mate. "I was delighted for him, now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge and I scored the try. "No, delighted for Barry [Keenan's nickname]. I probably would have dropped it like the other one... no, it was knocked out of my hands. "He [Keenan] had a bit of a rocky start to the campaign with the sickness that derailed him for a while and it's a testament to his professionalism and staying in it. "I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try so I've no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great." Conan, who turns 34 on Tuesday, had an all-action evening at the MCG, with a combined 31 carries and tackles, the most of any Lions player in any Test across the last five tours. The team struggled badly at times in the first half, with Conan attributing some of that to Thursday's training session, where he said the team were "pretty shocking". The inconsistency of both sides made for an epic contest for the neutral, and Conan says clinching the series in such a way makes the victory even sweeter. "As a Leinster man you're normally on the other end of it where you don't win them so it was nice to be on the other side of it for once. "We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well. "I think the celebrations and the craic and changing room, if we went out and we won by 20, it wouldn't be the same. "Everyone's just over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is just incredibly special. I feel incredibly humbled and honoured to be part of it all. "Something that will go down in history, they won't be writing the history books about how s**t we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. "You can't take these things away from people and go down in history. I know people don't have the best things to say about Australia but I thought they were class today, they played above themselves. "We saw Valetini, big Willie Skelton and come back into the side. They were unbelievable, they made a huge difference and we struggled with it at times, a little bit high in the contacts, a little bit soaking, whatever else but it doesn't matter, we got there in the end didn't we?" As for the celebrations, they will roll into the start of the week. The team were given Sunday off as usual, while they have also been allowed some extra time to 'rest and recover' on Monday, before hitting the ground on Tuesday, looking to seal the clean sweep in Sydney. "Yeah it's class, just the feeling afterwards, the celebrations, 'Big Tadge' [Tadhg] Furlong was giving it 90 on the sideline which was class and it was just unreal. "Part of a Lions winning series is just so special, to have played two 80 minutes, I'm not sure if I'll be playing next week after my performance but we'll see what happens. "It's great doing the lap afterwards and seeing so many familiar faces like all the lads' partners, family, everything like that is class. And then seeing my wife and then all my mates, my twin sister's here as well with her husband and they've been digging in with the baby duties as well which has been great. "So you couldn't wish for anything more compared to four years ago when there wasn't a sinner in the stadium, getting a proper rattle out of it now is just unreal."
Irish Daily Mirror
10 minutes ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Lions star reveals 'poignant and powerful' video from Irish icon inspired team
Ireland ace Jack Conan has revealed that an inspiring video from boxing great Katie Taylor helped the British and Irish Lions find the resilience needed to close out their series against Australia. Taylor, an Olympic gold medal winner and current undisputed world super lightweight champion, sent the good luck message to Andy Farrell's squad in the build-up to Saturday's second Test at Melbourne Cricket Club. The 39-year-old's words on the ability to dig deep turned out to be prophetic as the Lions emerged 29-26 winners after fighting back from an 18-point deficit. 'The video was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but also being ready to win by will,' said Ireland number eight Conan, who like Taylor hails from Bray in County Wicklow. 'That was something that was massively summed up in the game because we were not at our best at all. 'It's huge because she comes from the town I'm from. I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. 'She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world. To be such a superstar, incredibly humble and driven is something that we leant on as well because we knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it in spades. 'Everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy – it resonated with everyone. It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us.' Katie Taylor celebrates after defeating Amanda Serrano (Image:for Netfli) It took a beautifully-taken try by Hugo Keenan with 51 seconds remaining to separate the rivals in one of the greatest Lions matches ever played. Remarkably, Keenan's touchdown was the first time they led in the match. Conan admits that victory tastes all the sweeter for having been taken to the wire as Australia raised their game to a whole new level a week after starting the series with a whimper in Brisbane. 'We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well,' he said. 'It was disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. Hugo getting over the line in the last minute was just unbelievable. 'It wasn't my best game. A lot of us weren't at the races at all, but we stuck in there. You can't fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there, was unbelievable. 'It's something that will go down in history. They won't be writing the history books about how s*** we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. 'Everyone's over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is incredibly special. The celebrations in the changing room wouldn't have been the same if we'd won by 20.'
Irish Times
10 minutes ago
- Irish Times
‘Unbelievably poignant' Katie Taylor message strengthened Lions' will to win
Jack Conan's seasonal finale has delivered in spades. After captaining Leinster to the United Rugby Championship title, the Lions ever-present from four years ago was in ebullient form after Saturday's 29-26 win sealed a series triumph that he will remember forever. The result was all that mattered as Conan reflected on an imperfect training week and what he felt was a far-from-perfect display by himself and the Lions, but one that had additional meaning for the man from Bray. 'We were not at our best by any measure, but physically the lads dug in unbelievably well,' said Conan, who turns 33 on Tuesday. He revealed: 'We had a video from Katie Taylor earlier in the week and it was unbelievably poignant and powerful. It spoke about being prepared to win with skill, but be ready to win by will. 'I think that was something that summed up today massively because we were not at our best at all. Pretty disappointing how we played, but we played for 80 minutes. READ MORE 'Barry ( Hugo Keenan ) getting over the line last minute was just unbelievable. I think the celebrations and the crack and changing room, if we went out and we won by 20, it wouldn't be the same,' he admitted. 'Everyone's just over the moon. To be part of a Lions winning series team is just incredibly special. I feel incredibly humbled and honoured to be part of it all. Not my best game, but a lot of us weren't at the races at all, but we stuck in there. You can't fault the effort. I thought the defensive sets we put in, just whacking people and just staying in there, was unbelievable. I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy — Jack Conan 'It's something that will go down in history,' he continued, random thoughts pouring out amid the immediate euphoria of reaching one of the true highs of his rugby career. 'They weren't writing the history books about how s**t we were, but they'll say that we won and that's all that matters. Just so special to be part of it.' Jack Conan (left) and Tadhg Furlong celebrate the Lions' victory over Australia in Saturday's second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. Photograph: Martin Keep/AFP via Getty Images Taylor's message was particularly poignant for Conan given they both hail from Bray. 'Massively. Huge. Someone to come from the town I'm from, I'm incredibly proud of where I come from and I know Katie is as well. She's gone on to achieve incredible feats in the boxing world and to be such a superstar and be just incredibly humble and driven and knock it out of herself is something that we kind of leant on as well. We knew that Australia are a hugely proud nation and they showed it today in spades. 'They were unbelievable, they really were, but we just stuck in it for 80 minutes and [I'm] just incredibly proud of the effort from the lads. I know things didn't click and we weren't flowing properly, but we were getting off the line, trying to hit people, trying to make it count every chance we got. And I think we did that and that's why we got the result in the end.' [ Australia head coach Joe Schmidt unhappy at match officials over Jac Morgan clearout Opens in new window ] It transpired that the Irish performance coach Gary Keegan, who is also part of the extensive Lions backroom team, was the key figure in asking Taylor to provide a motivational video. 'Gary Keegan would have been very close with her and helped her through her amateur career into professional career; he's the link there. It meant a lot to me being from the same place and seeing her on the world stage, but I think everyone loved it, even the English and the Scottish boys and the Welsh boy. It resonated with everyone. 'It was unbelievably poignant, it was class. It really hit home for us, it was brilliant.' Conan was one of a record nine Irish players in the starting line-up who contributed to this series-clinching second Test win, as well as Rónan Kelleher and James Ryan off the bench, with three of them among the Lions try scorers. In another ever-lasting image, Keenan was the match-winner. Putting down one of the two cans of Guinness he had been holding in each hand, Conan said of Keenan: 'Delighted for him, because he had a bit of a rocky start to the campaign with the sickness that derailed him for a while and it's a testament to his professionalism and staying in it. I was delighted for him. Jack Conan came close to scoring a try in the series-clinching victory against Australia. Photograph:'Now in saying that, I would have liked it more if he gave me the ball on the edge and I scored the try,' joked Conan, who helped give Keenan the space to beat Len Ikitau on his outside shoulder by holding his depth. 'No, delighted for Barry, I probably would have dropped it like the other one,' added Conan, in reference to the moment early on when James Slipper's tackle dislodged the ball from his grasp as he was diving over the line. 'No, it was knocked out of my hands lads. 'I was shouting for it, but Barry goes and scores a try. I've no complaints. If he bottled it there in that moment, I would have killed him and kicked the arse off him afterwards, but that was great.' Leinster being the bulk suppliers had generated quite a bit of debate, but Farrell's selections had been vindicated. 'As a Leinster man you're normally on the other end of it where you don't win them, so it was nice to be on the other side of it for once,' admitted Conan with a smile. 'Yeah it's class, just the feeling afterwards, the celebrations. Big Tadge (Tadhg Furlong) was giving it 90 on the sideline which was class and it was just unreal, part of a Lions winning series is just so special, to have played two 80 minutes. I'm not sure if I'll be playing next week after my performance but we'll see what happens, but yeah, absolutely class. 'You can't take these things away from people; [they] go down in history. I know people don't have the best things to say about Australia but I thought they were class today, they were unbelievable, they played above themselves. 'We saw Valetini and big Willie Skelton come back into the side, they were unbelievable. They made a huge difference and we struggled with it at times. A little bit high in the contacts, a little bit soaking, whatever else. But it doesn't matter, we got there in the end, didn't we. 'The win's a win. Series win; Lions series winner. You can't take that away from us, so I'm delighted for everyone. Delighted for the coaching staff, delighted for the lads who played, the lads who didn't play because everyone's played their part. Roll on the celebrations, roll on next week and one more 80 minutes to go and then a bit of well-earned time off.'
