Update: England fullback favourite to replace injured Blair Kinghorn

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Kinghorn was forced off after 25 minutes in Canberra, replaced by Marcus Smith, after a Brumbies player landed awkwardly on him. He initially tried to run it off but eventually had to concede defeat.

Despite the setback, Farrell struck an upbeat tone post-match.

Kinghorn was later seen back on the sidelines and looked in decent spirits considering the knock. When asked if he feared the worst for the versatile back, Farrell simply said: “No.”

That said, Farrell took a similar line when Elliot Daly went down 10 days ago—only for the England back to be ruled out with a broken arm. So nothing’s certain just yet.

If Kinghorn’s injury ends his tour, Leicester Tigers star Freddie Steward is reportedly the frontrunner to step in.

It might raise eyebrows—Steward has lost his starting England spot—but he’s just put in a slick, try-scoring display against Argentina and looked sharper than ever with ball in hand.

And when it comes to defusing bombs, few can touch him.

Farrell knows what he’d be getting: a 37-cap full-back with world-class high-ball skills—something that could be crucial against a Wallabies backline featuring the likes of Joseph Sua’ali’i.

Stranger things have happened.

Here are the players that Ruck and other media outlets believe failed to impress against the Brumbies:

Despite scoring a try, Lowe had a disappointing performance marred by uncharacteristic errors. He botched an early try-scoring opportunity, threw loose passes, overhit kicks, and lacked confidence throughout. Though he made over 50 metres with ball in hand, his overall impact was minimal before being subbed off in the 63rd minute.

RUCK 5/10: "A game to forget for Lowe. Yes, he got a try but he was off the pace all match, before he got replaced by Hansen in the 63rd minute. His kicking game is an asset to the Lions but Lowe seemed to lack a lot of confidence, best shown by a botched try as he tried to step back instead of diving for the tryline. Hopefully, he can come back stronger."

Rugby Pass 5/10: "It was all going horribly wrong for the winger until he strolled home just before the half-hour mark after a sweet handling move. Before that, he’d blown a relatively easy try-scoring opportunity when he failed to ground the ball, and been guilty of a litany of errors, including throwing wild passes, being tackled into touch and over-hitting kicks."

Planet Rugby 5/10: "Did fantastically well to blunder a try in the first half, which was frankly embarrassing for a player of his quality. Did get over the line when there was no one in front of him soon after to make amends. He got his hands on the ball plenty and gained over 50 metres, but it was far from a compelling shift, which included two turnovers conceded."

Scored a try and assisted another but looked hesitant in the Lions jersey. Given a golden opportunity to push for the Test full-back spot after replacing Kinghorn early, Smith showed flashes of brilliance but failed to make a compelling case.

Rugby Pass 5.5/10: "Hopefully, the Quins man will take confidence from scoring a try and coming up with an assist, but looks strangely hesitant in a Lions’ jersey. Had a great opportunity to press for the Test No.15 jersey after getting just under an hour as a replacement for Kinghorn, but didn’t really do enough to silence the doubters."

FLORUGBY 6/10: "Defensively, Smith remains a mile off the mark at fullback, but you can see what the coaches like with his attacking game as a second distributor. The question will be, can the Lions work a way to negate his frailties in the backfield? Unfortunately, his lack of game time at ten feels set to be a deciding factor that could drop him out of contention."

A mixed performance from Curry, combining high work-rate and a key assist with costly errors. While he defended well with eight tackles, his game was marred by turnovers, penalties, and a poor second-half spell. Removed after 50 minutes, he didn't strengthen his Test selection claims.

FLORUGBY 5/10: "Reverting back to his favoured position of openside, the England backrow was industrious but lacked the clinical edge that he is renowned for. Clearly acknowledging that he is playing catch-up on Josh van der Flier and Jac Morgan for a starting role, Curry forced his hand a few times, notably in the 41st minute, which killed a Lions attack and sent the Brumbies on their way for a long-range attack. Replaced in the 50th minute, having made 10 tackles (2 missed) and 4 carries, and 1 carry was not the momentum-shifting performance he would’ve hoped for."

Telegraph 6/10: "A mixed bag. Curry was busy and bustling and set up Marcus Smith’s score. However, he also coughed up possession twice and shipped a needless penalty."

BALLS 6/10: "His work-rate was crucial in creating some overloads in attack. One knock-on, over on the right wing. Good offload for Smith's try. Threw an intercept, then scrambled over and conceded a penalty for playing the 9 (Lonergan) at the breakdown. Stuck eight tackles but missed two, and made little ground on his carries."

Planet Rugby 4/10: "Compounded a loose pass in the second half by conceding a penalty when the Brumbies broke away on the counter for a massive territorial deficit. He conceded another turnover in what was an underwhelming shift that included two missed tackles, too. In a congested loose trio, he did his chances of a Test start no favours in arguably his best position and was removed after 50 minutes."

An unfortunate outing for Kinghorn, who suffered a leg injury just minutes into the match and was forced off after 25 minutes. Dropped an early high ball and made some basic errors before exiting, missing his chance to stake a claim for the full-back role.

Planet Rugby 5/10: " A gutting setback. Today was his game to nail down the starting Lions full-back role and was forced off after just 25 minutes. He entered the line nicely to combine with Russell, but didn’t really get a chance to impress. A crushing blow if that’s the end of his tour. It did not look good."

Express 5/10: "Down with knee injury after nine minutes and off after 25 and didn’t look good"

Rugby Pass 4/10: "A disappointing outing for the Scot, who picked up a knock to his leg eight minutes in. Struggled on manfully before being replaced by Marcus Smith at the start of the second quarter. Dropped an early high ball before the injury in what was a night to forget."

BALLS 4/10: "Spilled an early high ball then went offside as the Lions were under early pressure. Was down for treatment before the 10-minute mark. Could have held his pass to Lowe (for the non-try) a beat longer. Lasted 25 minutes before hobbling off. "

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