Australia vs British & Irish Lions – Test series LIVE: Andy Farrell’s men are without Garry Ringrose for second test – as the Wallabies make several big changes

It’s been a busy week of action at the MCG. It hosted an AFL match between the Hawks and Carlton on Thursday night, with a good contingent of Lions players here to enjoy the show.

The game pulled in a crowd of more than 50,000, which is pretty impressive for a regular league match on a school night. AFL is king here.

Garry Ringrose has been ruled out of tonight’s second Test after self-reporting concussion symptoms earlier in the week.

As part of the concussion protocols, Lions boss Andy Farrell was forced to remove the Irish centre from the squad, despite having been picked to start in midfield tonight.

It is understood that Ringrose approached the Lions boss after Thursday’s training session, just before he was set to announce his team. It means he has now missed both the first and second Tests due to the head injury.

The 30-year-old suffered a concussion injury during the Lions’ victory against the Brumbies on July 9, and had returned to feature during the Tourists’ match against First Nations & Pasifika XV in Melbourne.

He played 16 minutes during that game, but was forced to rule himself out of tonight’s clash against the Wallabies.

Now, Owen Farrell has spoken out to praise the Irishman for his ‘selfless’ act.

‘It’s head-related again,’ Farrell said.

‘It was literally as I was walking off the field, he came to me, and once it’s mentioned, that’s that.

‘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 types 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.’

Farrell was asked if this was an ‘unbelievably selfless act’, replying: ‘It is actually.

‘I thought exactly [that] the minute he mentioned it because it’s tough to do. 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 per cent. For the team as well, not just for Garry.’

As forecast, rain is now coming down here at the MCG, so this is bound to turn into an arm-wrestle contest.

If it stays like this, the ball is going to spend a lot of time in the air as both teams will test each other out with an aerial barrage, as well as with heavy use of lineout drives.

This is some stadium. Approximately 95,000 fans are expected to enter the MCG tonight to watch the Lions take on the Wallabies.

And Lions skipper Maro Itoje has warned his team to expect a ferocious Australia side, as they look to bounce back from last week’s defeat.

Earlier in the week, the second-row insisted his side were ‘not playing a pub team’.

‘The Wallabies are a proper team, I played them last year in the autumn and we lost to them when we were supposed to win.

‘They are a team that can punish you if you don’t approach the game properly.’

Kick-off is just 20 minutes away!

Andy Farrell has opted to make some big changes to his side ahead of the second Test.

Bundee Aki, Ollie Chessum and Andrew Porter have all come into the starting line-up for tonight’s second Test, with Sione Tuipulotu, Joe McCarthy and Ellis Genge all making way.

Genge will remain in the matchday squad as a replacement, with Owen Farrell also being called up as a replacement.

Huw Jones and Aki will start as Farrell’s centre partnership after Garry Ringrose ruled himself out after suffering concussion symptoms.

Menawhile, Blair Kinghorn returns to the replacements alongside James Ryan and Jac Morgan.

‘We have put ourselves in a good position after the first Test, but we know there will be a massive reaction from this Wallaby team,’ Lions boss Andy Farrell said ahead of the match.

‘Everyone saw the quality they have in Brisbane and we know we will have to be a lot better than we were last week.

‘The opportunity to play in front of 100,000 supporters at the MCG, one of the world’s most iconic stadiums, is what makes Lions tours unique and special.

‘We know our Lions supporters will get behind the team on Saturday and create a fantastic atmosphere.’

It appears that the Wallabies arrived almost half-an-hour late after being stuck in gridlock in Melbourne. That is a major logistical lapse for the hosts and a huge surprise given how their head coach, Joe Schmidt, is renowned for being so meticulous.

He will be furious about a delay which is bound to impact on their preparations leading up to kick-off.

So, the big news today is that Australia are set to have several big stars returning to action.

Joe Schmidt has made three changes to his squad following last week’s defeat, with flanker Rob Valetini coming in at blindside flanker in place of Nick Champion de Crespigny.

Meanwhile, David Porecki, who was unavailable for the opening game of the Test series due to a concussion injury, returns to play hooker in place of Matt Faessler.

The big news, though, is that towering second-row star Will Skelton has recovered from a calf injury and will start at No 5 for today’s match.

The 33-year-old second row stands at 6ft 8in and weighs around 23st. And the La Rochelle forward’s physicality combined with his brilliance at the break down will make him a huge threat to the Lions on Saturday evening.

‘He is a fantastic player and a talisman for any side he plays in. He adds a sense of dynamism, size and power to the team,’ Lions skipper Maro Itoje said, speaking on the Aussie lock-forward.

‘Due to the size of him and his strengths, Will presents different challenges to your traditional lock.’

Mail Sport’s Chris Foy has been doing the analysis and here’s why the tourists should be terrified of the giant second-row.

What would a win mean today for Joe Schmidt and his side?

‘I would never be outcome-focused,’ the Australia coach said.

‘But this would be special and it would be special for this group. I think it would accelerate a little bit of their growth as well in terms of gaining confidence.’

Here’s the full Wallabies squad to take on the Lions at the MCG…

Here at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the Lions have won the toss and will bat first. Only joking – the Lions will kick off.

Finn Russell first out on the pitch to start practising his shots at goal while seagulls swirl around the upper reaches of this vast stadium.

There is an electric atmosphere in Melbourne tonight as the British and Irish Lions and the Wallabies are set to clash at the Melbourne Cricket Club.

Andy Farrell’s side took a 1-0 lead in the series following their 27-19 victory against the hosts at the Suncorp Stadium Last week.

The Lions were dominant in the opening 20 minutes of the match, and perhaps that is where the game was won. Scotland star Sione Tuipulotu and English flanker Tom Curry both crossed over in the first half, while Max Jorgensen pulled a score back for the Wallabies.

Despite the statement win in the opening game of the series, there was plenty for the Lions to work on coming into this second Test, with the Wallabies set to welcome back several big hitters for this match.

And Australia boss Joe Schmidt believes his side are taking plenty of confidence from last week’s defeat into tonight’s match.

‘The squad has recovered well after a very physical first Test and the week’s preparation here in Melbourne has allowed us a bit more time together,’ Schmidt said.

‘We took some confidence from the second half last week, but we know we’ll need to improve further against a Lions team that will bring plenty of fire to the contest on Saturday night.’

Kick-off is less than an hour away, so stay with us as we’ll be bringing you all the latest news, commentary and analysis from the second Test.