Andy Farrell and the Lions Suffer Triple Injury Blow as All Three Players Ruled Out Ahead of First Test

Hansen has been one of the standout performers in the warm-up fixtures, but a foot injury picked up recently may see him miss out.

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“Mack hurt his foot in the game, I don’t think it is anything serious but he was managed today,” said assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth.
“Hopefully he will be fully integrated pretty quickly. It is nothing that we are overly concerned about but we need to make sure we have enough numbers at training but it doesn’t look too serious.”

Farrell had previously singled out Hansen for praise following his eye-catching display against the Western Force. However, his absence from training has raised questions about his availability.

When asked if Hansen was now a doubt, Wigglesworth said:
“Yeah because as I was saying with Blair, in terms of we have to...if they get on the field tomorrow and they’re better, then they’re right in contention. We’ve not finalised anything yet. A doubt is anyone who didn’t train fully today, but he’s definitely not ruled out.”

Kinghorn, meanwhile, is dealing with a knee problem picked up in the match against the ACT Brumbies.

In the likely scenario that both backs are unavailable, the back three could feature Hugo Keenan at fullback with Tommy Freeman and James Lowe on the wings. Huw Jones remains the only specialist outside centre, with Garry Ringrose still following return-to-play protocols.

The half-back partnership is expected to be Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell, while inside centre will come down to a straight shootout between Bundee Aki and Sione Tuipulotu. Farrell is due to confirm his matchday squad on Thursday.

Despite the mounting injury concerns, Wigglesworth insists the Lions won’t abandon their attacking mindset.

“You can’t really afford to be doing something for five or six weeks and then try and change something with two or three days of training,” he said.
“So we’ve been working on the way we want to play in terms set-plays and that sort of stuff we always tweak game to game but there’ll be no massive philosophy change from us.”

The Lions have shown real attacking intent in the lead-up fixtures, but some believe they’ll take a more conservative approach once the Test series gets underway. Wigglesworth isn’t having it.

From Ireland’s 106-point demolition of Portugal to Uruguay’s shock 70-8 thrashing of Romania, there was no shortage of headlines. But while some players soared, others failed to deliver on expectations — including a key British & Irish Lions player who was a shadow of his usual self despite the team’s 48-0 win.

Stay tuned as we break down the four biggest underperformers from this round of matches — starting with a Lion who looked completely off the pace.

A disastrous outing marked by poor discipline and costly decisions. He received two yellow cards — the second upgraded to red — with one reckless offside intercept near the try line proving game-changing. His confidence looked rattled following his Lions omission, and a finger injury only added to a thoroughly forgettable performance.

Rugby Pass 4/10: "Two yellow cards, the second upgraded to red, bookended a frustrating afternoon. First infringement was marginal but the second, for an offside intercept metres from the line, killed the game. Injured his finger in the process.:

RUCK 2/10: "Poor discipline marred his performance. A needless yellow card in the first half nearly cost a penalty try, before a second infringement and subsequent red sealed a forgettable outing. Confidence clearly shaken after Lions omission."

Had a powerful start with dominant carries and tackles but undid all his good work with an early red card for headbutting. His reckless decision left South Africa a man down for most of the match, overshadowing his physical presence and raising concerns over his discipline in big games.

Rugby Pass 3/10: "Started with intent, making several powerful carries and tackles, but his day ended early after a red card for headbutting Danilo Fischetti."

Flo Rugby 1/10: "A reckless red card for a headbutt overshadowed what could have been a special day alongside his brother. His error left the Boks a man down for 60 minutes. A rare lapse in judgment from an otherwise cerebral player."

The South African 5/10: "For all his excellence on the rugby field, Jasper Wiese sometimes does exceptionally daft things. He was red carded as early as the 22nd minute for a clear head-butt. And while his thuggish behaviour may not have proved costly for the Springboks today, it could have major repercussions against better opposition in more significant games. He needs a stern talking to after this stunt."

Planet Rugby 2/10: "After a confident start to proceedings, Wiese’s evening hit a disastrous roadblock when he was red-carded for head-butting Italy prop, Danilo Fischetti. Referee Andrew Brace issued the Springboks number eight with a straight red card, bypassing the 20-minute red card rule due to the action being deemed deliberate and highly dangerous. This left his teammates one short for the final three-quarters of the match."

Rugby 365 4/10: "He almost scored in the third minute, but unfortunately lost the ball on his charge, and put in massive tackles. Unfortunately, he was red-carded after the loose forward lashed out and headbutted his opposition."

A mixed night from Barrett who oscillated between moments of class and costly errors.

Rugby Pass 6/10: "Wasn’t as influential as last week. Pinned the corners well with his boot. Unlucky to be binned for an attempted intercept that went to ground but it did prevent a French break becoming more. Some troubles under the high ball. Try assist for Jordan in the second half a nice touch."

Stuff 6/10: "Not the best start, with kick out on full, then a yellow card for deliberate knock on. Mixed kicking game with a few too long, and some nice short ones. Put Jordan over easily and kicked 5/6 off the tee."

Smith showed resilience under pressure but lacked influence overall. He missed key opportunities, including a kick and defensive lapse, and didn’t do enough to secure a bench role ahead of the First Test.

BALLS 6/10: "Overcooked an early garryowen into the AUNZ 22. Opposition were finding him on their carries, but he never backed down. Missed Tuipulotu on a strong carry. Did not do enough to rubber-stamp a bench spot for the First Test."

RUCK 5/10: "So often a reliable option at fly-half, Northampton’s Smith had an off night in Adelaide. A couple of simple missed kicks and a lack of real effect in this game mean Andy Farrell could look at his more versatile options – Marcus Smith or Owen Farrell – to back up Finn Russell in Brisbane."

Throughout Rugby World Cup's 10 iterations, just South Africa, New Zealand and Australia have won the tournament more than once. South Africa now lead the all-time wins with four, New Zealand have won three and Australia have lifted the Web Ellis trophy twice.

Throughout these triumphs, 44 men's players have been apart of two Rugby World Cup winning squads. This quiz is the ultimate test for Rugby World Cup fans, to see if you can name all 44 players that boast two winners medals.

Good Luck!

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