TOM CURRY (Sale Sharks, England), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby, Wales) and Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales) will make their Lions debuts this Wednesday evening after Warren Gatland sleeted a completely new starting XV for the tourists second match on South African soil against Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park (kick off 6pm BST).
Ireland and Ulster lock Iain Henderson will captain the Lions for the first time, while tour captain, Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland) is named amongst the replacements.
There are two Scots in the starting line-up, with Duhan van der Merwe selected on the left wing and Zander Fagerson at tight-head. Three more Scots in the shape of Rory Sutherland, Chris Harris and Stuart Hogg have been named on the bench.
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“It’s a quick turnaround from Saturday, but we’ll be ready to go by Wednesday night,” said Gatland.
“I’m pleased we managed to come through the weekend’s game unscathed, and the boys have rested and recovered well. We feel like we’re slowly building, but, as ever, there’s still room for improvement in all facets of our game.
“Wednesday night is another chance for us to have a look at a few more combinations. I’m looking forward to seeing how the back row goes; it’s an exciting mixture and one that we hope will offer something a bit different.
“We expect another physical test against a side who are known for their power play and ambition.
“My congratulations to Tom, Josh and Adam ahead of their first starts in a Lions jersey.”
British & Irish Lions (v Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg, Wednesday 6pm): L Williams; A Watson, E Daly, B Aki, D van der Merwe; D Biggar, G Davies; M Vunipola, L Cowan-Dickie, Z Fagerson, I Henderson, A Beard, J Navidi, T Curry, S Simmonds.
Replacements: K Owens, R Sutherland, T Furlong, T Beirne, J Conan, C Murray, S Hogg, C Harris.