Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby, Wales) and Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales) will make their Lions debuts this Wednesday evening when the tourists take on Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park (kick off 6pm BST).
Ireland lock, Iain Henderson (Ulster Rugby, Ireland), will captain the Lions for the first time, while Tour Captain, Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland), is named amongst the replacements.
The game, which will be shown live and exclusively on Sky Sports, is the second of eight Tour matches in the 2021 Castle Lager Lions Series which culminates with three Tests against World Champions, the Springboks.
“It’s a quick turnaround from Saturday, but we’ll be ready to go by Wednesday night,” said Lions Head Coach Warren 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.
CELL C SHARKS v THE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS
Wednesday 7 July 2021
Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 6pm (BST)
- Liam Williams (Scarlets, Wales) #833
- Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England) #816
- Elliot Daly (Saracens, England) #822
- Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby, Ireland) #837
- Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #841
- Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales) #821
- Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales) #850
- Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England) #787
- Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England) #851
- Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) #848
- Iain Henderson – Captain (Ulster Rugby, Ireland) #808
- Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales)
- Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby, Wales)
- Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England)
- Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England) #849
Replacements:
- Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales) #829
- Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #840
- Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #818
- Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #838
- Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #839
- Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #790
- Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland) #783
- Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) #844
