This is the Ruck, the journalist's rugby podcast from The Times and the Sunday Times.

I'm Alfie Reynolds.

Welcome back. And I think I've worked out.

This is the ninth team selection reaction podcast that we have done on this tour. So if you are still with us,

we salute you. Alex Lowe, Owen Slot, final team selection boys. Final test. Which one didn't we do?

Ten game tour. The Argentina game in Dublin. Because we were all in different places yeah yeah yeah so ninth yeah ninth in australia alice mitchell's been in all of them

yeah named in all 10 match day squads it's incredible that isn't that which is some some achievement yeah

good on him he didn't get on for a couple of them um Andy farrell was saying he was so he's been in more test in all match squads than you've done match preview podcast so yeah correct that's the thing he's proudest of isn't it Alex Mitchell is uh is ahead of us it was funny actually today in the press conference Andy Farrell says oh I wish I could have got him on in the second test but the nature of the game they wanted to keep Gibson park on and I was thinking could have got him on in the second test, but the nature of the game, they wanted to keep Gibson Park on.

And I was thinking, could have got him on in the game in, was it Marvel or Adelaide? Is the Marvel game he didn't come on either? Ben White played the whole game that night. But then, like, Ben White deserved it in a way. He was playing so well. For sure. He's unlucky, actually, Ben White, I think. Yeah, but on that, I mean,

do we not actually like it that he didn't put people on just because that's what people do?

Yeah, definitely. anyway i think yeah but on that i mean this do we not actually like it that he didn't put people on just

because that's what people do yeah i mean these days subs just get put on just almost you know

for no reason well i think that teases up quite nicely to chat about this squad so the headlines

of it many of you would have seen previously two changes from the starting 15 that played at the MCG. James Ryan comes into the second row, which means Ollie Chessam is on the bench, and Blair Kinghorn replaces James Lowe. James Lowe drops out of the squad entirely, 6-2 split on the bench, and it's Ben Earl that comes back in. But we've known it all week haven't we chaps this means something to

the lions the series is done and dusted they're two nil up but clearly the importance for

them of winning three nil is massive and as you've just touched upon slotty the team selection

I think is absolutely a reflection of that with how strong the lines have gone completely

the conversation in the week has been to what extent do you balance fresh

legs and eagerness to go versus those who were the first choice picks? Do they therefore

stay the same choice picks? Would there be any sense of these other people deserve it?

And everyone does deserve it. But would Andy Farrell be swayed by that at all? Now, I think we

kind of knew that that wasn't the way he's wired but he couldn't have shown that any more

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