'Ringrose doesn't realise magnitude of his call'

Australia v British and Irish Lions, second Test

Venue: Melbourne Cricket Ground Date: Saturday 26 July Time: 11.00 BST

Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app with post-match analysis on BBC iPlayer, Radio 5 Live and the Rugby Union Weekly podcast.

Garry Ringrose's withdrawal from the British and Irish Lions team to face Australia in Saturday's second Test shows how seriously current players take concussion, says former wing Ugo Monye.

Ringrose was initially named at outside centre to face the Wallabies, but informed head coach Andy Farrell after training on Thursday that he was feeling lingering symptoms of a head injury suffered in the win over the ACT Brumbies on 9 July.

Ringrose was replaced at outside centre by Scotland's Huw Jones in a late rejig of the plans.

"I don't think Garry Ringrose fully understands how big a decision he's made," Monye told BBC's Rugby Union Weekly.

"It is massively selfless to take himself out of it - he was going to make his Test debut for the Lions this weekend.

"Is there a greater example about the seriousness of concussion and how aware players are of it?"

Former Scotland captain John Barclay described Ringrose's decision as "an amazing message to send out".

"Even if he was saying, 'I'm 50/50', to then fall on to the side of 'I'm not playing, it's not worth it' in what would be the biggest match of his career is incredible," said Barclay.

Ringrose played a full 80 minutes against the Brumbies, scoring a try in a 36-24 win. However, a concussion suffered in the match later emerged.

"Garry unfortunately had a delayed reaction," head coach Andy Farrell said at the time. "He had headaches for a day and it carried on for the next day, so he went through concussion protocols and failed those."

Ringrose sat out the first Test win over the Wallabies, but made his comeback off the bench in Tuesday's win over a First Nations and Pasifika team, being introduced in place of the injured Darcy Graham after 16 minutes.

Farrell said Ringrose came through that game and Wednesday's training without any problems, but reported symptoms returning on Thursday.

As well as doctors assessing collisions on the touchlines with the help of video replays, players wear 'smart' mouthguards that register the size of impact via the acceleration of the head.

If a hit exceeds a pre-set threshold, an alert is triggered and the player must be removed for a check.

World Rugby's head injury assessment process also allows for players who show belated symptoms.

Elite players must be signed off by a doctor and be symptom-free before they can return to action.

There has been increased focus on concussion since a group of former players launched legal action against rugby authorities, claiming they were not sufficiently protected from and informed about potential brain injuries.

Barclay said he played in the 2017 autumn internationals, unsure whether he had fully recovered from a concussion suffered six weeks before on club duty for Scarlets.

"The autumn Tests were coming up and I thought I felt alright, but I wasn't sure," he said.

"I thought I probably was but, looking back, should I have played? Possibly. Probably not.

"But as someone who's had a history of concussions, Garry Ringrose realises how serious it is. It's massive, an incredibly selfless decision."

Ringrose's withdrawal means the Lions line up with Ireland's Bundee Aki inside Jones, a midfield combination that has started only once together in the eight matches played by the 2025 Lions.

However, with rain forecast for Melbourne on Saturday, Monye said brute power may be more important that intricate patterns of play.

"Saturday's not the day for multi-phases and pressure through attack," he said.

"If it is hammering down with rain, I think that works as an equaliser.

"If you are worried about cohesion and this and that, it's not going to be that type of game.

"I think it's going to be probably five or six phases and then get rid of the ball - that type of game."

Owen Farrell, who was called up to the tour as a replacement for the injured Elliot Daly and played 80 minutes at inside centre against the First Nations and Pasifika XV, is covering midfield on the bench.

The 33-year-old four-time tourist is noted for his distribution and defence, but lacks the gainline power of Aki or Sione Tuipulotu.

"You can try and rank the potential centre partnerships but, with Aki and Jones, we have two really, really good players together," said Monye.

"My only hesitation is what that centre partnership looks in the final 30 minutes. Is it going to be Aki and Farrell? Is it going to be Farrell and Jones?

"That is going to be a change."

Barclay said: "The 12s they have picked for this tour - Aki and Sione Tuipulotu - play completely differently to Owen Farrell.

"If you put Farrell in there the game plan has to change slightly."