Stuart Hogg, will captain the British and Irish Lions in the opening match of their South African tour against the Golden Lions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Johannesburg – Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg will captain the British and Irish Lions in the opening match of their South African tour against the Golden Lions at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Coach Warren Gatland named a team which included only one player, wing Josh Adams, who started in the 28-10 win against Japan in Edinburgh last Saturday.
Tour captain and scrum-half Conor Murray was not named in either the run-on team or among the replacements.
The selection announced on Thursday suggests that Gatland wants to get all of his 37-man squad into action as soon as possible in the eight-match tour, which culminates in a three-Test series, starting on July 24 in Cape Town.
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If all the substitutes get some game time on Saturday, it will mean 34 players will have taken part in the first two matches. The only exceptions are forwards Adam Beard, Tom Curry and Josh Navidi.
In a statement, Gatland said: “It’s good to have arrived in Johannesburg and get the tour underway.
? Stuart Hogg will lead @lionsofficial into battle on Saturday, when the #CastleLionsSeries kicks off in Joburg
? Team annoucement: https://t.co/P62o5un2Is pic.twitter.com/WJseI7GrIS— Springboks (@Springboks) July 1, 2021
“We had a pleasing win last week up in Edinburgh but there’s still plenty we need to get right on Saturday.
“I’ve been encouraged by the way the boys have trained this week. I feel it’s gone up a level from where we were in Jersey and we’re starting to see a better understanding of some of our tactics.
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“There (are) some new player combinations for us to have a look at this Saturday — which is good information for us as the Test series approaches.”
Lions team
(15-1)
Stuart Hogg (capt); Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris, Owen Farrell, Josh Adams; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Taulupe Faletau, Hamish Watson, Courtney Lawes; Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje; Kyle Sinckler, Jamie George, Wyn Jones
Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Zander Fagerson, Iain Henderson, Sam Simmonds, Gareth Davies, Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly
Coach: Warren Gatland (NZL)
Source: AFP
Picture: Twitter/@Springboks
