The squad includes two changes to personnel and a positional switch in his starting XV for the final test.

2019 World Rugby Player of the Year Pieter-Steph Du Toit and scrum-half Faf De Klerk are both out of the series decider through injury.

Franco Mostert moves to flanker to cover for Du Toit while Montpellier scrum-half Cobus Reinack comes into the side in place of De Klerk, who has been ruled out due to a muscle strain in his leg.

Lock Lood de Jager is drafted into the starting XV to take Mostert’s original position.

Inside centre Damian de Allende will become the third Springbok in the Castle Lager Lions Series to reach the career milestone of 50 Test caps when he starts in Saturday’s decider in Cape Town.

De Allende will be paired with Lukhanyo Am and the duo in midfield.

Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin Kolbe will play on the wings once again with Willie Le Roux offering support for them at full-back.

Jasper Wiese wears the number eight shirt for the second week running in the series and South Africa captain Siya Kolisi and Mostert will combine with him to form the back row.

De Jager will be joined by Eben Etzebeth in the second row while the front row will consist of Steven Kitshoff, Bongi Mbonambi and Frans Malherbe.

Head coach Jacques Nienaber opted to name three backs on the bench, with fly-half Morné Steyn joining Herschel Jantjies and Damian Willemse in the matchday 23.

It is the second time in the series that the coach has gone for a 5:3 split on the bench.

Springbok Squad v British & Irish Lions Third Test
15 – Willie le Roux (Toyota Verblitz) – 64 caps
14 – Cheslin Kolbe (Toulouse) – 16 caps
13 – Lukhanyo Am (Cell C Sharks) – 17 caps
12 – Damian de Allende (Munster) – 49 caps
11 – Makazole Mapimpi (Cell C Sharks) – 16 caps
10 – Handré Pollard (vice-captain, Montpellier) – 51 caps
9 – Cobus Reinach (Montpellier) – 15 caps
8 – Jasper Wiese (Leicester Tigers) – 2 caps
7 – Franco Mostert (Honda Heat) – 42 caps
6 – Siya Kolisi (captain, Cell C Sharks) – 53 caps
5 – Lood de Jager (Sale Sharks) – 47 caps
4 – Eben Etzebeth (Toulon) – 88 caps
3 – Frans Malherbe (DHL Stormers) – 41 caps
2 – Bongi Mbonambi (DHL Stormers) – 39 caps
1 – Steven Kitshoff (DHL Stormers) – 50 caps

Replacements:
16 – Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears) – 36 caps
17 – Trevor Nyakane (Vodacom Bulls) – 45 caps
18 – Vincent Koch (Saracens) – 22 caps
19 – Marco van Staden (Vodacom Bulls) – 4 caps
20 – Kwagga Smith (Yamaha Júbilo) – 9 caps
21 – Herschel Jantjies (DHL Stormers) – 13 caps
22 – Morné Steyn (Vodacom Bulls) – 66 caps
23 – Damian Willemse (DHL Stormers) – 9 caps

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Connacht centre Bundee Aki is handed a Lions test debut at inside centre with Henshaw occupying the number 13 shirt.

Munster scrum-half is dropped to the bench as Scotland’s Ali Price comes back into the team.

Wyn Jones returns to the starting XV after recovering from injury and makes his test debut for the side.

His Wales teammate Ken Owens also joins him in the side at hooker, coming in for England’s Luke Cowan-Dickie.

Liam Williams steps in for full-back Stuart Hogg and is joined in the back three by Wales winger Josh Adams, who earns his Lions test debut in place of Anthony Watson, and Duhan Van Der Merwe.

Dan Biggar stays at fly-half and will play alongside the aforementioned Ali Price.

The back five of the pack is unchanged with Jack Conan, Tom Curry, Courtney Lawes, Alun Wyn Jones and Maro Itoje all keeping their spots in the side.

Jones will earn his 12th consecutive test start for the British and Irish Lions and the player moves up to joint-third on the all-time appearances list, joining Irishman Mike Gibson and Welsh prop Graham Price.

Tadhg Furlong will make his sixth successive test start for the Lions at tighthead to round out the front row.

Adam Beard, Finn Russell and Sam Simmonds will feature in the matchday 23 for a Lions test for the first time.

Owen Farrell is out of a Lions test 23 for the first time since 2013 and Tadhg Beirne also misses out on a spot in the squad.

British and Irish Lions Squad v South Africa – Third Test

L Williams (Wales); J Adams (Wales), R Henshaw (Ireland), B Aki (Ireland), D van der Merwe (Scotland); D Biggar (Wales), A Price (Scotland); W Jones (Wales), K Owens (Wales), T Furlong (Ireland); M Itoje (England), A W Jones – captain (Wales); C Lawes (England), T Curry (England), J Conan (Ireland).

Replacements: L Cowan-Dickie (England), M Vunipola (England), K Sinckler (England) – subject to the outcome of his disciplinary hearing, A Beard (Wales), S Simmonds (England), C Murray (Ireland), F Russell (Scotland), E Daly (England).

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The game will take place at the Cape Town Stadium in Cape Town and will kick-off at 5 pm.

Flanker Siya Kolisi will captain the side in their first third consecutive Lions series as world champions.

Ox Nche earns the starting loosehead spot vacated by Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira following his retirement after South Africa’s 2019 Rugby World Cup win.

Bongi Mbonambi and Trevor Nyakane, who both sustained injuries during that world cup run, start alongside Nche in the front row.

Eben Etzebeth is paired with Franco Mostert in the second row, a man who was an important rotation in the world cup.

Kolisi is joined by 2019 World Player of the Year Pieter-Steph Du Toit and Kwagga Smith in the back row.

Maverick scrum-half Faf de Klerk will wear the number nine shirt this weekend with Handre Pollard deemed to be fit enough to play alongside him at fly-half.

Pollard will earn his 50th cap against the Lions.

Damian De Allende and Lukhanyo Am offer a strong centre partnership while Makazole Mapimpi and Cheslin will provide devasting pace on the flanks.

Full-back Willie Le Roux will round off the back three in the number 15 shirt.

The bench sees the Springboks change from a 6-2 split to a 5-3 split with Herschel Jantjies, Elton Jantjies and Damian Willemse being the backs on the bench.

The game will be shown live on Sky Sports.

South Africa v Lions 1st Test 2021

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Lukhanyo Am, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk; 1 Ox Nche, Bongi Mbonambi, 3 Trevor Nyakane, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 5 Franco Mostert, Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 8 Kwagga Smith.

Replacements: 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.

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Warren Gatland’s side is coming off their first loss on the tour – a 17-13 defeat to South Africa ‘A’ – and will want to bounce back from it.

The Stormers stand in their way and will want to record a historic upset in Cape Town.

Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg will captain the Lions for the match and returning tour captain Alun Wyn Jones will take his place on the bench.

Robbie Henshaw also makes his return from injury and heads straight into the starting XV with Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan starting for the side as well.

The Lions’ explosive ability to score tries was nullified by Jacques Nienaber’s Springbok defence on Wednesday night but the Lions will not face a defence of that calibre anywhere else.

Ali Price and Marcus Smith will add some creativity to an attack that has only failed to score less than 25 points this summer – against South Africa ‘A’.

Lock Ernst Van Rhyn will captain the opposition on Saturday, with the home team wearing limited edition jerseys for this match only.

JD Schickerling will partner him in the second row.

A pacey back three of Edwill Van Der Merwe, Seabelo Senatla and Sergeal Petersen can cause problems for the Lions.

Stormers will look to improve on Western Province’s 26-23 loss to the Lions in a close match on the 2009 tour.

However, the Lions firepower may prove to be too much this time around.

Lineups

The British & Irish Lions: 15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland) C, 14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby, Wales), 13. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England), 12. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland), 11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland), 10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, England), 9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland); 1. Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland), 2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England), 3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland), 4. Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales), 5. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, England), 6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland), 7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland), 8. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland)

Replacements: 16. Jamie George (Saracens, England), 17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England), 18. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland), 19. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales), 20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England), 21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales), 22. Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland), 23. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester Rugby, Wales)

DHL Stormers: 15. Sergeal Petersen, 14. Seabelo Senatla, 13. Rikus Pretorius, 12. Dan du Plessis, 11. Edwill van der Merwe, 10. Tim Swiel, 9. Godlen Masimla; 1. Leon Lyons, 2. JJ Kotze, 3. Neethling Fouche, 4. Ernst van Rhyn (captain), 5. JD Schickerling, 6. Nama Xaba, 7. Johan du Toit, 8. Evan Roos

Replacements: 16. Andre-Hugo Venter, 17. Kwenzo Blose, 18. Sazi Sandi, 19. Justin Basson, 20. Marcel Theunissen, 21. Thomas Bursey, 22. Abner van Reenen, 23. Juan de Jongh, 24. Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 25. Niel Otto, 26. Leolin Zas, 27. Cornel Smit

Odds

Stormers 33/1

Draw 100/1

British and Irish Lions 1/100

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Inside centre Robbie Henshaw will return to the starting lineup after recovering from a hamstring injury.

Returning tour captain Alun Wyn Jones will have a place on the bench just three weeks after dislocating his shoulder against Japan.

Furthermore, Stuart Hogg will wear the captain’s armband on the day when he lines up in the back three alongside Josh Adams and Duhan Van Der Merwe.

Harlequins fly-half Marcus Smith, who was called up at the weekend, will start for the side, wearing the number 10 shirt.

Rory Sutherland and Tadhg Furlong will start for the Lions once more with Adam Beard and Jonny Hill at lock forward behind them.

Tadhg Beirne and Jack Conan will give a strong Irish feel to the back row with Hamish Watson complimenting them at openside.

Many members of the bench were part of the side that narrowly lost out to South Africa ‘A’ 17-13 on Wednesday night, including Chris Harris and Louis Rees-Zammit.

Kick-off is at 5 pm on Wednesday and Sky Sports will cover the game.

Lions 23 v Stormers

Backs

15. Stuart Hogg

14. Josh Adams

13. Elliot Daly

12. Robbie Henshaw

11. Duhan van der Merwe

10. Marcus Smith

9. Ali Price

Forwards

1. Rory Sutherland

2. Luke Cowan-Dickie

3. Tadhg Furlong

4. Adam Beard

5. Jonny Hill

6. Tadhg Beirne

7. Hamish Watson

8. Jack Conan

Replacements

16. Jamie George

17. Mako Vunipola

18. Zander Fagerson

19. Alun Wyn Jones

20. Sam Simmonds

21. Gareth Davies

22. Chris Harris

23. Louis Rees-Zammit

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The two sides lined up against each other on Wednesday night in a one-sided affair that saw Warren Gatland’s touring side run out 54-7 winners in Ellis Park.

SA Rugby and the Lions have agreed to replace the Vodacom Bulls with the Cell C Sharks at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday (kick-off 18h00 SAT, 17h00 BST), after the former was ruled out because of COVID-19 infections.

The Lions beat the Cell C Sharks 54-7 at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Wednesday in the second match of the Castle Lager Lions Series. The tourists had opened their account at the same venue with a 56-14 victory over the Sigma Lions on Saturday.

“The choice of the Cell C Sharks was dictated by the fact that they have been in a bubble, have returned negative tests throughout and were prepared to take on the fixture,” said Jurie Roux, CEO of SA Rugby.

“No other team in the country could meet those conditions right now – without going into a five-day lockdown. It is not an ideal situation, but COVID-19 has made sure that we do not live in an ideal world.”

The change has meant that the Cell C Sharks’ match against the Sigma Lions in the Carling Currie Cup on Saturday has been cancelled with a decision on the points allocation to be confirmed.

“We’re very grateful to the Sharks for agreeing to play us again this Saturday at Loftus Versfeld,” said Lions managing director Ben Calveley.

“We have further COVID-19 testing scheduled for today and tomorrow. The results of those tests will determine whether we will be able fulfil this fixture, but, as it stands, we are optimistic.

“We remain committed to the Tour in South Africa and determined to rise to the challenges created by the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The possibility of the second game against the Sharks going ahead is subject to PCR test results from the squads.

The Lions, who put eight tries past the Sharks in their recent game, will undergo testing today and tomorrow but expect to be able to play at the weekend.

The story of the Lions’ tour to South Africa has been big wins and positive cases so far, with the South African national team having to cancel their second test against Georgia because of cases in both camps.

Their first match ended in a convincing 40-9 win after the Springboks snuck into the lead at the end of a tight first half.

South Africa is currently scheduled to field an ‘A’ side against the Lions on Wednesday, July 14th.

It remains to be seen how strong a team the South Africans will be able to field in that fixture.

The Lions will look to another fixture against the Sharks this weekend and are expected to play against the ‘A’ side, as mentioned above, and the DHL Stormers before playing the first test against the Springboks.

With cases in multiple camps and the test only two weeks away, the thought of a three-game test series between the two sides that would be unaffected by COVID-19 gets less convincing by the day.

To see the Lions’ fixture list for the tour, click here.

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This year’s Lions have proven to be a very strong side thus far with their most recent match against the Lions highlighting their quality.

However, wholesale changes have been made to the side that beat the Sigma Lions 56-14 on Saturday. You can watch a live stream of the match on Sky Sports APP

Ulster and Ireland lock Iain Henderson will captain the side, becoming the latest Irishman to take up the mantle.

Mako Vunipola will get his first start of the tour and will have a chance to prove to everyone why he should be considered for the South Africa tests.

Adam Beard and Josh Navidi have been drafted in after their late call-ups following the injuries Alun Wyn Jones and Justin Tipuric sustained against Japan.

The explosive Sam Simmonds will be a danger to the Sharks defence in his first start as a Lion.

His opposite number eight, Sharks captain Phepsi Buthelezi, will look to lead his side to a historic victory against Warren Gatland’s Lions.

The side’s last game against the British and Irish Lions ended 39-3 in a dominant display from Ian McGeechan’s touring side.

Buthelezi and co. will want to provide a bigger challenge to the 2021 Lions than their 2009 counterparts.

The tough task ahead of them includes shutting down threats such as centre Elliot Daly and former Blue Bulls winger Duhan Van Der Merwe.

Daly was a livewire in his natural position for the Lions when he came on at the weekend.

Gatland’s use of ‘roving wingers’ and edge forwards in the first two games with the squad has troubled opposition defences and Sharks players will have to be wary of this.

The Sharks are boosted by the inclusion of fly-half Curwin Bosch, who has been capped twice by the Springboks.

His ever-presence in the side has seen the fly-half become a leader for the backs and his skills will be needed for a good performance on Wednesday.

However, it will be a big ask, nonetheless.

Lineups

British and Irish Lions: Liam Williams, Anthony Watson, Elliot Daly, Bundee Aki, Duhan van der Merwe, Dan Biggar, Gareth Davies; Mako Vunipola, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Zander Fagerson, Iain Henderson C, Adam Beard, Josh Navidi, Tom Curry, Sam Simmonds.

Replacements: Ken Owens, Rory Sutherland, Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan, Conor Murray, Stuart Hogg, Chris Harris.

Cell C Sharks: Manie Libbok, Werner Kok, Jeremy Ward, Marius Louw, Thaakir Abrahams, Curwin Bosch, Jaden Hendrikse; Khwezi Mona, Fez Mbatha, Khutha Mchunu, Ruben van Heerden, Hyron Andrews, James Venter, Thembelani Bholi, Phepsi Buthelezi C.

Replacements: Kerron van Vuuren, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Wiehahn Herbst, JJ van der Mescht, Reniel Hugo, Dylan Richardson, Grant Williams, Anthony Volmink.

Betting

Cell C Sharks 11/1

Draw 45/1

British and Irish Lions 1/20

Kick-Off & TV Coverage

The game will kick-off at 6 pm on Wednesday, July 7th in Ellis Park, Johannesburg.

Sky Sports will be showing the game on their Main Event channel with coverage starting at 5 pm.

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It will be the 29-year-old’s first time wearing the armband for the famous side in his second tour.

The lock forward has been Ulster captain since the start of the 2019-20 season, taking on the role after Rory Best.

He has also worn the armband at international level for Ireland – captaining the side when they lost 15-13 to France at the Aviva Stadium in this year’s Six Nations Championship.

Henderson will join an elite group of Irish captains of the Lions, with 12 Irish players achieving the honour beforehand (including Conor Murray).

Paul O’Connell and Brian O’Driscoll are examples of the Irish players that have captained the famous side before.

Henderson is only the second Irish player to captain the Lions that was not Tour Captain.

Peter O’Mahony started the first test against New Zealand in 2017 ahead of Tour Captain Sam Warburton and was given the armband in his absence.

Henderson’s achievement will come 101 years after the first-ever Irish Lions captain led the side out against South Africa.

Tommy Smyth is the beginning of an illustrious list that includes those mentioned above as well as full-back Tom Kiernan and lock Willie John McBride, who toured with the Lions five times and is currently the most-capped player for the side.

Iain Henderson will etch his name onto that list on Wednesday evening when he leads the side out against the Sharks in Johannesburg.

The lock will captain a side that includes Connacht and Ireland centre Bundee Aki at 12.

Four Irish players are expected to come off the bench in the midweek game – Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan and Conor Murray.

Click here to see the Lions’ matchday 23 to face the Sharks.

The game will be available to watch on Sky Sports.

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