Andy Farrell hailed the selflessness of Garry Ringrose after the Ireland centre removed himself from contention for Saturday's British and Irish Lions Test against the Wallabies due to symptoms of concussion.
The 30-year-old had been named in the starting team by Farrell when he confirmed his squad internally yesterday, but the head coach was forced into a late change after this morning’s training session at Xavier College when Ringrose self-reported his concussive symptoms.
Ringrose missed the first Test last week as he followed the return to play protocols for a previous brain injury, and returned for Tuesday's win against the First Nations and Pasifika XV, playing just over an hour off the bench following an ankle injury for Darcy Graham.
That performance had been enough for Farrell to start him alongside Bundee Aki for this weekend’s second Test, but the coach revealed Ringrose approached him after this morning’s training session, feeling unwell.
"It was literally as I was walking off the field, he came to me, and once it's mentioned, that's that," Farrell (below) said, after naming his team for Saturday's second Test.
"So there was no incident. He was feeling good, well in advance of Tuesday, and fit and ready to play.
"No incident through the game at all, nothing yesterday and nothing this morning at all, but with these type of things, players are getting very good at telling the truth of how they feel, so it was a no-brainer to make the change straight away."
Having experienced concussion earlier on the tour, this latest setback is now almost certain to remove Ringrose from playing in the remainder of the Test series.
It’s a worrying development for the player, and also calls into question the validity of rugby’s protocols around return to play following brain injuries.
However, Farrell was quick to praise the player for the bravery it took to remove himself from selection ahead of what would have been one of the biggest games of his career.
"It actually is [selfless], thought exactly the same the minute that he mentioned it because it's tough to do that," he added.
"It's very easy to keep it to yourself and lie and not be honest and open. It was very big of him and the right thing to do, 100%. For the team as well, not just for Garry."
Tour captain Maro Itoje (above) echoed that message from the head coach, saying Ringrose should be lauded for making the right decision, and being an example to others in the game.
"Firstly, absolutely gutted for Garry," Itoje said.
"To play with him and get to know him over the last couple of months has been a real privilege and honour. I'm gutted for him that he's in this position.
"But, also, it shows the measure of the man to be so selfless. All we ask of all of us is to be selfless and put the team first.
"When push comes to shove, you see who really does it. Garry is a man who really did it."
It was a bittersweet day for Andrew Porter. The Leinster prop was one of three new faces put into the starting team by Farrell this week, having replaced Ellis Genge off the bench.
But the Ireland loosehead said he was thinking of his provincial and international team-mate Ringrose.
"It speaks volume of him and who he is to do that," Porter said.
"I only heard that before coming in that he withdrew himself, he wasn't pulled aside by a coach.
"It's incredibly disappointing for Garry, but it shows his character and the player that he is to pull himself aside.
"I think that would be an incredibly hard thing to do given the magnitude of the game, but it's a testament to the player and person he is that he put the team first and if he's not right, he's not right.
"He's looking to let someone who is fit and able to come in to the squad."
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