Lions coach Warren Gatland has named his starting XV for the first game on South African soil of the 2021 British and Irish Lions tour. The team to face the Emirates Lions of SA (5pm Irish time on Sky Sports) has no Irish players in the starting fifteen and will be captained, in the absence of Conor Murray, byScotland's Stuart Hogg.
Finn Russell starts at 10 alongside his Scottish team mate Ali Price at 9, with Owen Farrell at number 12. A position many believe the England star will occupy in the test series. The wings are occupied by Wales duo Louis Rees-Zammit and Josh Adams, while Chris Harris of Scotland lines out at 13.
Upfront, five English forwards George, Sinckler, Itoje, Hill and Lawes, join Wales' Faletau, Wyn Jones and Scotland's Hamish Watson.
The bench will feature Iain Henderson, with Bundee Aki and Elliot Daly offering cover for the backline alongside Gareth Davies.
TEAM NEWS
— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 1, 2021
Here is our #LionsRugby team for the battle of the big cats as we face @LionsRugbyCo on Saturday
Read more below via our Official App #CastleLionsSeries #BoksvLions
Subscribe or register today to discover more from DonegalLive.ie
Buy the e-paper of the Donegal Democrat, Donegal People's Press, Donegal Post and Inish Times here for instant access to Donegal's premier news titles.
Keep up with the latest news from Donegal with our daily newsletter featuring the most important stories of the day delivered to your inbox every evening at 5pm.