Blair Kinghorn and James Ryan have been named to start for the British & Irish Lions in their third Test against the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday as Andy Farrell’s side seek to wrap up a series whitewash.
Kinghorn is selected on the left wing with James Lowe dropping out of the 23 while Ryan replaces Ollie Chessum, who has been named on the bench. Kinghorn impressed as a replacement in the last-gasp victory in Melbourne last week and though he is a fullback by trade, he often appears on the wing for Toulouse.
Ryan also caught the eye off the bench at the MCG and comes into the starting XV alongside Maro Itoje, who continues as captain. Ryan is one of nine Ireland players selected along with Tadhg Furlong who will equal Alun Wyn Jones in starting nine consecutive Tests for the Lions. Itoje will also appear in his ninth straight Lions Test, having made his debut off the bench in New Zealand in 2017.
Lowe pays the price for indifferent form in the first two Tests but Farrell has resisted making wholesale changes to his side which will bid to become the first to complete a series whitewash since 1927 and the first to go unbeaten since 1974. It means that Sione Tuipulotu again misses out with Bundee Aki and Huw Jones keeping their places in midfield.
It is unclear whether Joe McCarthy was deemed fit to play, having missed the second Test with a foot injury, but Ryan is rewarded for his form of late after a slow start to the tour. On the bench, Owen Farrell is again selected as part of a 6-2 split with Ben Earl also recalled, having missed out in Melbourne.
Up front Furlong is joined by Leinster teammates Dan Sheehan and Andrew Porter again while Tadhg Beirne, Tom Curry and Jack Conan keep their places in the back-row. Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell are again the halfbacks while Tommy Freeman stays on the right wing and Hugo Keenan is once more named at fullback after his last-minute try sealed the series win last week.
On the bench, Ellis Genge, Ronan Kelleher and Will Stuart again provide front-row cover while Chessum, Jac Morgan and Earl complete the forwards contingent. Joining Farrell among the backs is Alex Mitchell, who has now been named in every squad on the tour.
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“We have put ourselves in a great position to finish this Tour with our best performance to date and create our own piece of history,” Andy Farrell said. “Last weekend’s Test match in Melbourne was an incredible spectacle and illustrated how special Lions Tours are and what they mean to both the players and the supporters. We are expecting another epic battle this weekend against a Wallaby side that showed their quality last week.”