British & Irish Lions suffer fresh injury scare ahead of first Australia Test in Brisbane as Mack Hansen a doubt, Owen Farrell 'influence' revealed
Published 15/07/2025 at 09:43 GMT+1
Andy Farrell has been given another unwanted selection headache ahead of the Lions' first Test in Brisbane on Saturday following Mack Hansen's injury suffered in the final warm-up game. Assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth confirmed that the Connacht wing has not been officially ruled out for the clash with the Wallabies, but his absence from training on Tuesday suggests it will be touch and go.
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The British & Irish Lions have been dealt a fresh injury blow with the news that Mack Hansen could miss the first Test with a foot problem.
Hansen sustained the injury in the final warm-up match before the Test series, as the Lions cruised to a 48-0 win over an AUNZ Invitational XV in Adelaide.
Andy Farrell also faces the prospect of being without Blair Kinghorn, with both players missing training on Tuesday.
Neither Hansen nor Kinghorn have officially been ruled out of Saturday's game, but the duo are viewed as huge doubts for the first Test in Brisbane.
Assistant coach Richard Wigglesworth looked to ease any major concerns surrounding Hansen’s injury, while revealing that the side for the first Test has already been chosen.
He told the media: "He hurt his foot in the game, I don’t think it is anything serious, but he was managed today.
"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. A doubt is anyone who didn’t train fully today, but he’s definitely not ruled out.
"We know we have got such quality across all positions so we would be lying if we said [team selection] was easy. In terms of how quick it was, there have been two or three conversations, we have picked and we will tell the lads tomorrow.
"Nothing has been announced, so that’s always subject to change in terms of how they’ve trained and what that’s looked like. That’s why these things are kept back a bit."
The squad has already undergone several changes, with former England captain Owen Farrell called up to replace the injured Elliot Daly.
Wigglesworth hailed the way in which Farrell has seamlessly settled into the squad, after the duo worked together at Saracens.
He continued: "I’ve enjoyed [working with him again]. He’s done exactly what we knew he was going to do in terms of help and influence, and obviously contributed on the field when that time came up.
"It’s been great to work with him again, but I was probably more excited for all those who hadn’t worked with him, to be able to experience that. He’s been great, as we knew he would be. Not everyone did, but we knew.
"It’s been on record hundreds of times about Owen. You all know how good he is, the influence he has, his knowledge and how he helps other people get better.
"We all knew how good he was going to be and it’s been that way. He’s the influential Owen that we know and love."
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