Garry Ringrose to miss Lions' opening Test against Wallabies

The British & Irish Lions' Garry Ringrose celebrates scoring his side's fourth try of the game during the Qatar Airways Lions Tour 2025 match at GIO Stadium. Pic: Robbie Stephenson/PA Wire.

Garry Ringrose will miss the British & Irish Lions’ first Test against Australia next Saturday, having suffered a concussion injury and failing Head Injury Assessment after the win against the Brumbies last Wednesday.

Ringrose had scored his third try of the tour as the Lions notched their fourth win in Australia against the Super Rugby semi-finalists but took a knock in contact in the 74th minute of the 36-24 victory in Canberra.

The normal stand-down period for such an injury is 10 days but Ringrose’s recent concussion against Scotland in this season’s Six Nations means the Ireland centre has to take an extra two days’ rest.

“Garry had a delayed reaction. He had headaches for a day and it carried on for the next day so he went through concussion protocols and failed those,” Farrell said.

“Unfortunately for him and for us he’s 12 days so that puts him out of the first Test and back in for the midweek game before the second Test (against First Nations & Pasifika XV on July 22).

“You don’t mess around with these things and it is unfortunate for him and everyone else. He’s in good spirits anyway so we crack on.”

Ringrose had started alongside Ireland team-mate Bundee Aki against the Brumbies and the Lions started with Huw Jones at outside centre on Saturday against an AUNZ Invitational XV at Adelaide Oval, in an all-Scottish midfield partnership with Sione Tuitupulotu.

The Leinster star missed training on Friday, as did back-five forward Ollie Chessum, and was absent from the pre-game warm-up the following day as a non-playing squad participant, while the Englishman did take part.

Ringrose's absence from the first Test in Brisbane in seven days opens the door for both Scots as head coach Andy Farrell looks for familiar cohesion in his partnerships, though Owen Farrell has also been running at inside centre in training and was set for his tour debut in Adelaide after being named on the Lions bench as the outside backs replacement.

Meanwhile, Jamie George has been drafted into the squad as cover for the injured Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Hooker Cowan-Dickie appeared to be knocked out in Saturday's 48-0 win and left the field in the medical cart with his head in a supportive brace.

He faces a spell on the sidelines and Saracens front row George, appointed co-captain for England's on-going summer tour to Argentina and the United States, will fly to Australia for his third Lions tour having featured in New Zealand in 2017 and South Africa in 2021.