21-07-2025
McCarthy injury being monitored as Hansen 'on track' ahead of second Test
Mack Hansen and Joe McCarthy remain doubts for the British & Irish Lions ahead of Saturday's second Test against Australia at the Melbourne Cricket Ground but Blair Kinghorn and Garry Ringrose have been cleared to face the First Nations & Pasifika XV on Tuesday night.
Ireland wing Hansen was forced out of the selection mix for last Saturday's series opener with the Wallabies due to a foot injury sustained seven days earlier against an AUSNZ Invitational XV. Ringrose experienced delayed concussion symptoms following that game in Adelaide and was stood down for 12 days with both denied potential Test debuts for the Lions having been in contention for starts. With Tommy Freeman starting on the right wing and Huw Jones at outside centre the Lions forged a 27-19 victory at Brisbane's Suncorp Stadium, a game which saw Irish lock McCarthy removed on 42 minutes with plantar fasciitis, a painful inflammation of the fibrous tissues on the soles of one's feet.
Neither Hansen nor McCarthy trained at the Lions' new training base at Melbourne's elite private school Xavier College on Monday following the squad's transfer from Brisbane and although assistant coach Simon Easterby was positive about their recoveries, the pair are running out of time to prove their fitness to be considered for selection ahead of Thursday's team announcement for the second Test.
'Joe is just recovering from that foot issue he had on the weekend, and that's just a wait and see type of injury,' Easterby said on Monday. 'Mack, it's just probably just a bit too soon in terms of playing tomorrow, but he's in good shape.
'He's certainly on track. It's probably one of those where we just have to get through the next 24-48 hours and then make a decision based on how he's recovering based on the stuff he's been doing over the last few days.
'Mack wasn't involved today… he's definitely on the right road to recovery, but tomorrow's game was probably slightly too soon for him.
'(McCarthy) didn't train today, but there's no reason why later in the week... like anything, with those types of injuries, there's a little bit of grey around how long they take, and it's really the individual recovery that will allow us to decide whether it's right to pick him or not.'
The more positive news came in Monday morning's team announcement for the final midweek game of the tour, at Marvel Stadium in Melbourne, where the opposition will be a team comprised of indigenous Australian players and Pacific islanders, captained by 95-capped Wallabies fly-half Kurtley Beale a veteran of the 2013 series against the Lions.
His opposite number will be another survivor of that Lions series win, Owen Farrell who gets his first start since replacing the injured Eliott Daly. Farrell has been named at inside centre with Ireland's Jamie Osborne as his midfield partner outside a half-back pairing of Fin Smith and scrum-half Ben White.
There will be an-Scottish back three with Duhan van der Merwe and new arrival Darcy Graham on the wings while Blair Kinghorn makes his comeback at fly-half following a knee injury sustained 13 days earlier at the Brumbies.
Graham and Osborne are two of seven players, four of them Scots, added to the tour party specifically for Tuesday's game. England's Jamie George starts at hooker, while the replacement front row of Scotland's Ewan Ashman and Rory Sutherland, and Ireland tighthead Thomas Clarkson, as well as Scottish lock Gregor Brown are on the bench.
Like Kinghorn, Ringrose will be given time to stake his claim for a place named in the Lions 23 this Saturday after being named as the outside backs replacement.
'It is great to have those two back,' Easterby said of Kinghorn and Ringrose.
'Both unfortunate with their injuries, both on good form coming into the tour and both probably feel like they want to lay down a bit of a marker for the second and third Test.
'It's also great to have the guys coming in from Scotland Camp and adding and connecting in with us as well.
'It's been impressive out there, seeing everyone training who could train apart from Joe and Mack.' 'If it's as good as the week before the first Test, then it becomes really pivotal in terms of this stage of the tour, creating competition for places towards the back end.'
BRITISH & IRISH LIONS (v First Nations & Pasifika): B Kinghorn (Scotland); D Graham (Scotland), J Osborne (Ireland), O Farrell (England) – captain, D van der Merwe (Scotland); F Smith (England), B White (Scotland); P Schoeman (Scotland), J George (England), F Bealham (Ireland); J Ryan (Ireland), S Cummings (Scotland); J Morgan (Wales), J van der Flier (Ireland), H Pollock (England).
Replacements: E Ashman (Scotland), R Sutherland (Scotland), T Clarkson (Ireland), G Brown (Scotland), B Earl (England), A Mitchell (England), M Smith (England), G Ringrose (Ireland).
