British and Irish Lions vs Australia: Blair Kinghorn, James Ryan start in final Test

British and Irish Lions coach Andy Farrell has made two changes to his starting side for the third-and-final Test vs. Australia in a game that will decide whether the tourists leave with a 3-0 whitewash.

Ireland lock James Ryan will partner captain Maro Itoje in the second row at Accor Stadium in Sydney on Saturday, while Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn has been named to replace Mack Hansen on the left wing.

“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,” 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.”

Chessum drops to the bench, where Ben Earl comes in as back row cover alongside Jac Morgan with Farrell opting for a 6-2 split in favour of the forwards for what is forecast to be a wet weather Test.

The starting back row and halfback pairing remain the same for the third consecutive match, while Irish prop Tadhg Furlong will start his ninth straight Lions test in the front row.

British and Irish Lions starting XV

Hugo Keenan,mmy Freeman, Huw Jones, Bundee Aki, Blair Kinghorn, Finn Russell, Jamison Gibson-Park, Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Tadhg Beirne, James Ryan, Maro Itoje, Tadhg Furlong, Dan Sheehan, Andrew Porter.

Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Ellis Genge, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl, Alex Mitchell.

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