Mandatory Credit: Photo by Billy Stickland/INPHO/Shutterstock (12183845p)
British & Irish Lions Squad Training, South Africa 29/6/2021. Head coach Warren Gatland
2021 British & Irish Lions Tour To South Africa – 29 Jun 2021
BREAKING: British & Irish Lions name team to tackle Springboks
British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has named his side to take on the Springboks in the first of three Tests at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
Mandatory Credit: Photo by Billy Stickland/INPHO/Shutterstock (12183845p)
British & Irish Lions Squad Training, South Africa 29/6/2021. Head coach Warren Gatland
2021 British & Irish Lions Tour To South Africa – 29 Jun 2021
British & Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has named his side to take on the world champion Springboks in the first of three Tests at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday, 24 July.
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Gatland was only due to name his team on Thursday, but sprang something of a surprise by doing so a day early.
Kick-off is at 18:00.
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Tour captain Alun Wyn Jones will skipper the British & Irish Lions having recovered from a dislocated shoulder sustained in the tourists 28-10 win over Japan at Murrayfield Stadium just 24 days ago.
In doing so, the Welsh lock will win his 10th-successive Test cap for the British & Irish Lions in Cape Town, moving him into an illustrious list of British & Irish Lions greats to have made 10 Test appearances or more, including Gareth Edwards (10), Graham Price (12), Mike Gibson (12) Dickie Jeeps (13) and Willie-John McBride (17).
Jones is the first, however, to play 10 Tests for the famous touring side in the professional era.
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The iconic Welshman will be joined in the second row by Maro Itoje who claims his fourth successive British & Irish Lions Test cap.
Elsewhere, Wyn Jones, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Tadhg Furlong make up the front row.
Courtney Lawes packs down on the blindside flank to win his third British & Irish Lions Test appearance, his previous two coming from the bench in the second and third Tests in New Zealand in 2017. Tom Curry is named on the openside, with Jack Conan filling the No 8 shirt.
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After starring against the Stormers this past Saturday, scrumhalf Ali Price joins No 10 Dan Biggar in the halfback berths.
Robbie Henshaw, who made his comeback from a hamstring injury over the weekend, partners Elliot Daly in midfield.
Anthony Watson wins his fourth British & Irish Lions Test cap as he takes his spot on the wing opposite Duhan van der Merwe, with fellow Scot Stuart Hogg rounding off the side at fullback.
The starting XV includes three Scots for the first time since the 1997 tour to South Africa, when current British & Irish Lions assistant coach Gregor Townsend was named alongside Alan Tait and Tom Smith for the first and second Tests.
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TEAMS:
South Africa
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Kwagga Smith, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Ox Nche
Substitutes: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Rynhardt Elstadt, 21 Herschel Jantjies, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse
British & Irish Lions
15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland), 14. Anthony Watson (England), 13. Elliot Daly (England), 12. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland), 11. Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), 10. Dan Biggar (Wales), 9. Ali Price (Scotland), 8. Jack Conan (Ireland), 7. Tom Curry (England), 6. Courtney Lawes (England), 5. Alun Wyn Jones (captain – Wales), 4. Maro Itoje (England), 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland), 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), 1. Wyn Jones (Wales)
Substitutes: 16. Ken Owens (Wales), 17. Rory Sutherland (Scotland), 18. Kyle Sinckler (England), 19. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland), 20. Hamish Watson (Scotland), 21. Conor Murray (Ireland), 22. Owen Farrell (England), 23. Liam Williams (Wales)
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