1995 was when Rugby went global. The tournament was always going to be played out with the spotlight of the International media on it due to President Nelson Mandela bringing the apartheid era to an end and along with it South Africa’s sporting isolation. The Springboks had been banned from the 1987 and 1991 tournaments. Now that the apartheid era was over they would participate for the first time.

The tournament surpassed all expectations, Jonah Lomu burst onto the stage and became Rugby’s first superstar. Spoiler Alert – The home side went on to beat the All-Blacks in the final. Nelson Mandela presenting Francois Pienaar with the Webb Ellis trophy became the defining image of the tournament. So what was Ireland’s part in all of this? 

Pool stage

For the first time, Ireland were in a group that they were not guaranteed to progress from. They were drawn in Pool C alongside New Zealand, Ireland, Wales and Japan. First up were the mighty All-Blacks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. 

Ireland New Zealand

It was a World Cup debut for 20-year-old Jonah Lomu, who at 6ft 5in and weighing in at 18 stone was unheard of for a winger at the time. But Ireland were about to get an up-close glimpse of his pace and power. 

The game started well for the Irish. Former hammer thrower, Gary Halpin, crashed over for the game’s first try as Ireland took an early lead. But that would be as good as it got for Gerry Murphy’s side as New Zealand clicked into gear. Two  Andrew Mehrtens’ penalties got them back to within a point of the Irish, before a brief reprieve when New Zealand had a try disallowed due to Andrew Little having a foot in touch. Then Lomu showed his immense power bursting through three Irish tacklers to score his first of seven tries at the tournament. 

The second All-Black try arrived shortly after when Brendan Mullen saw an attempted kick on the edge of his own 22 charged down by Frank Bunce who gathered to score. Denis McBride gave Ireland a glimmer of hope with a try just before half-time after a great break from Simon Geoghegan. At the break, Ireland trailed by 20-12. 

A second Lomu try after he was put into space by Kronfeld spelled the end of the Irish challenge. Lomu was denied his hat-trick after making a dazzling break from his own 22 and bursting past four would-be Irish tacklers. Simon Geoghegan made a try-saving tackle 5 yards out only for Lomu to pop the ball up to the onrushing Kronfeld who scored.

David Corkery grabbed, what was by that stage, a consolation try for Ireland before a late try from Glen Osborne added a gloss to the scoreline that highly flattered the All-Blacks after a brave Irish performance. 

Ireland 50 Japan 28

Next up for the Irish, four days later in Bloemfontein, was a 50-28 win over pool minnows Japan. Tries from David Corkery, Neil Francis, Simon Geoghegan, Eddie Halvey and Niall Hogan as well as two penalty tries saw the Irish outscore the Japanese by seven tries to four. Paul Burke took over from Eric Elwood at out-half for this game and nailed 6 out of 7 conversions as well as a penalty.

Ireland 24 Wales 23

Ireland were back in action in at Ellis Park, Johannesburg just four days later for a Pool C decider against Wales. The Irish were quietly confident having won the corresponding Five Nations clash in Cardiff the previous March 12-16 with Brendan Mullin scoring the only try of the game.

Wales had also enjoyed an easy win over Japan, before being beaten by New Zealand 34-9 in their second pool encounter. A 6th minute Nick Popplewell try off a lineout maul, converted by Eric Elwood, gave the Irish a great start. They stretched their lead when Denis McBride race under the posts after some dubious Welsh defending. Elwoods conversion saw Ireland lead 14-0 before the half hour mark. A Neil Jenkins penalty got Wales off the mark and an Adrian Davies drop  goal just before the break left the scoreline Ireland 14 Wales 6. 

After the interval a Jenkins  penalty brought the arrears to just 5 points. But just as Irish fans started to sweat, Eddie Halvey crashed over after good work from Paddy Johns to make it a two score game once again. A Jonathan Humphries try for Wales on 73 minutes, which Jenkins converted, meant a nervous last few minutes for Irish fans. Elwood’s penalty on 78 made the game safe, before a Welsh try with the last play of the game made the final score of Ireland 24 Wales 23 look tighter than it really was.

Quarter Final

Ireland’s reward for escaping their pool was a quarter-final meeting with a French side that had  topped Pool D with three wins from three. Tonga (38-10), Ivory Coast (54-18) and Scotland (22-19) were all beaten to set up a second meeting of that year against an Irish side they had convincingly beaten in Dublin by 7-25 the Five Nations back in March.

The quarter-final took place in Kings Park, Durban and had a lunchtime kick-off at 1:10pm local time. An Elwood penalty after 2 minutes of the game gave Ireland an early lead. France answered with a kick of their own from the boot of Thierry Lacroix after 6 minutes. This patter was to be  repeated again three in the next thirty five minutes of play with three more penalties apiece for the kickers. So the scoreboard read 12-12 at the interval, but Elwood’s fourth penalty on 38 minutes  was to be the last time as Gerry Murphy’s side trouble the scoreboard as they never really got going after the break. 

Four more penalties from Lacroix as well as two tries in the last ten minutes of the game from Phillipe Sanit-Andre  and a last minute intercept try from Emile Ntamack gave the French a comfortable win in the end. Once again there was an anti-climatic feel to an Irish World Cup campaign, this time they didn’t even have the comfort of a heroic defeat to cling to.

After Ireland’s exit….

It was to be Ireland’s final game of the amateur era as within two months the game went professional. After the tournament the IRFU replaced Gerry Murphy with their first Head coach, New Zealander Murray Kidd.  

On the field South Africa completed the fairytale for the new rainbow nation. Nelson Mandella presenting the William Webb Ellis trophy to Springboks captain Francois Peinnar became an iconic image. It represented the hope of a new era for the recently unified nation

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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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Springboks-capped fly-half Curwin Bosch will start the game wearing the number 10.

No.8 Phepsi Buthelezi will wear the armband upon his return to the side after missing their last outing against Western Province.

Khwesi Mona and Khutha Mchunu will have Fez Mbatha in between them in the front row.

Ruben van Heerden and Hyron will start for the side in the second row.

James Venter will pair up with Thembelani Bholi and the previously mentioned Buthelezi in the back row.

21-year-old Jaden Hendrikse will play at scrum-half beside fly-half Bosch.

Marius Louw and Jeremy Ward will make up the midfield pairing for the side with a back three of Thaakir Abrahams, Werner Kok and Manie Libbok.

Substitutes include Ntuthuko Mchunu and former Ulster player Wiehahn Herbst.

The game will be played at Ellis Park in Johannesburg and will be shown live on Sky Sports.

Click here to see the British and Irish Lions side that will play the Sharks.

Sharks side v Lions

Backs

15. Manie Libbok
14. Werner Kok
13. Jeremy Ward
12. Marius Louw
11. Thaakir Abrahams
10. Curwin Bosch
9. Jaden Hendrikse

Forwards

1. Khwezi Mona
2. Fez Mbatha
3. Khutha Mchunu
4. Ruben van Heerden
5. Hyron Andrews
6. James Venter
7. Thembelani Bholi
8. Phepsi Buthelezi C

Replacements:

16. Kerron van Vuuren
17. Ntuthuko Mchunu
18. Wiehahn Herbst
19. JJ van der Mescht
20. Reniel Hugo
21. Dylan Richardson
22. Grant Williams
23. Anthony Volmink.

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Wholesale changes have been made to the side that beat the Sigma Lions 56-14 on Saturday.

Iain Henderson will captain the side in their first midweek game of the tour against the Sharks at Ellis Park.

The 29-year-old is the Ulster captain and has experience of wearing the armband for Ireland.

Bundee Aki joins Henderson in the starting lineup at 12.

Mako Vunipola and Luke Cowan-Dickie will get their first starts on Wednesday alongside Scotland’s Zander Fagerson.

Henderson will be paired with Adam Beard at lock, who was chosen to replace Alun Wyn Jones for the tour in South Africa.

Josh Navidi will also get a debut after replacing the injured Justin Tipuric and will start at blindside flanker with England’s Tom Curry on the openside.

Exeter Chiefs’ Sam Simmonds will wear the number eight shirt for the first time on the tour.

Gareth Davies and Dan Biggar form a Wales duo at nine and 10.

The aforementioned Aki will play alongside Saracens’ Elliot Daly at centre, Daly’s natural position.

Duhan Van Der Merwe will return to the starting lineup, with Anthony Watson getting his first start at 14 while top try scorer Josh Adams is rested.

Liam Williams rounds off the side at fullback.

Four Irish players appear on the bench – Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Jack Conan and Tour Captain Conor Murray.

The game will be available to watch on Sky Sports.

Lions 23 v Sharks

Backs

15. Liam Williams (Scarlets, Wales)
14. Anthony Watson (Bath, England)
13. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England)
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht, Ireland)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester, Scotland)
10. Dan Biggar (Northampton, Wales)
9. Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales)

Forwards

1. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England)
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter, England)
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow, Scotland)
4. Iain Henderson (Ulster, Ireland) (captain)
5. Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales)
6. Josh Navidi (Cardiff, Wales)
7. Tom Curry (Sale, England)
8. Sam Simmonds (Exeter, England)

Replacements:

16. Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales)
17. Rory Sutherland (Worcester, Scotland)
18. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster, Ireland)
19. Tadhg Beirne (Munster, Ireland)
20. Jack Conan (Leinster, Ireland)
21. Conor Murray (Munster, Ireland)
22. Stuart Hogg (Exeter, Scotland)
23. Chris Harris (Gloucester, Scotland)

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The game will be shown live on Sky Sports and kick-off will be at 5 pm British Standard Time.

Warren Gatland and his selectors have made 14 changes to their Lions starting lineup with Josh Adams being the only survivor from the game against Japan.

Eight players are set to make their debuts for the side at Ellis Park – Luke Cowan-Dickie, Gareth Davies, Zander Fagerson, Chris Harris, Jonny Hill, Louis Rees-Zammit, Sam Simmonds and Hamish Watson.

Stuart Hogg will captain the team after joining up with the side following Exeter Chiefs’ loss to Harlequins in the Gallagher Premiership final.

Scotland fans will also get to see the duo of Ali Price and Finn Russell play alongside each other in the famous red shirt.

Ireland fans will have to wait until Gatland taps into the wealth of talent on the bench to see an Irish player.

The side they will face – their namesake Sigma Lions – will want to put on a show to welcome the British and Irish Lions to South Africa after 12 years away.

The Lions, who were called the Emirates Lions at the start of the week, were the opponents in the British and Irish Lions’ second game on the 2009 tour.

Their 2021 team will be hoping to do much better than the 74-10 drubbing that side received.

Willem Alberts, who played in that fixture, is unavailable for the side due to injury.

Their Pro14 Rainbow Cup South Africa campaign ended without a win after their last game was cancelled because of a COVID scare.

A poor Super Rugby Unlocked campaign in 2020 was a sign of things to come as they finished below Pro14 castaways Cheetahs.

Their side will be without anyone called up to the South Africa squad, including star player Elton Jantjies.

Warren Gatland’s side is heavily favoured in this matchup.

Betting

British and Irish Lions 1/25

Draw 70/1

Sigma Lions 13/1

Predicted Lineups

British and Irish Lions:

Stuart Hogg (captain); Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris, Owen Farrell, Josh Adams; Finn Russell, Ali Price; Wyn Jones, Jamie George, Kyle Sinckler, Maro Itoje, Jonny Hill, Courtney Lawes, Hamish Watson, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Zander Fagerson, Iain Henderson, Sam Simmonds, Gareth Davies, Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly.

Sigma Lions: EW Viljoen; Jamba Ulengo, Manuel Rass, Burger Odendaal, Rabz Maxwane; Jordan Hendrikse, Dillon Smit; Nathan McBeth, PJ Botha, Ruan Dreyer, Ruben Schoeman, Reinhard Nothnagel, Sbusiso Sangweni, Vincent Tshituka, Francke Horn (captain).

Replacements: Jaco Visagie, Sti Sithole, Carlu Sadie, Ruhan Straeuli, Emmanuel Tshituka, Morne van den Berg, Fred Zeilinga, Dan Kriel.

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No Irish player is present in the starting XV with Gatland and his selectors instead opting to lean on the British side of the squad for talent.

There is only one survivor from the starting lineup against Japan with Josh Adams starting at 11 this week.

Scotland full-back Stuart Hogg will captain the team for their match this weekend.

Louis-Ress Zammit will get his first minutes as a Lion this weekend when he starts on the opposite wing to Adams.

Owen Farrell and Chris Harris will offer different qualities in midfield while Scotland duo Ali Price and Finn Russell will wear the 9 and 10 shirts respectively.

In the pack, Jamie George and Kyle Sinckler provide an English feel to the front row alongside Wyn Jones.

Maro Itoje and Jonny Hill come into the side at lock forward, replacing the benched Iain Henderson and the injured Alun Wyn Jones.

Courtney Lawes shows his flexibility with a start at six while Hamish Watson and Taulupe Faletau round out the forwards.

Bundee Aki and Exeter star Sam Simmonds take their places on the bench alongside Henderson.

The match will kick-off at 5 pm on Saturday, July 3rd and the game will be available to watch on Sky Sports.

The British & Irish Lions Team v Emirates Lions

Backs

15. Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs/Scotland) C

14. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester/Wales)

13. Chris Harris (Gloucester/Scotland)

12. Owen Farrell (Saracens/England)

11. Josh Adams (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

10. Finn Russell (Racing 92/Scotland)

9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

Forwards

1. Wyn Jones (Scarlets/Wales)
2. Jamie George (Saracens/England)
3. Kyle Sinckler (Bristol Bears/England)
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens/England)
5. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs/England)
6. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints/England)
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh/Scotland)
8. Taulupe Faletau (Bath/Wales)

Replacements

16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs/England)

17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens/England)

18. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)

19. Iain Henderson (Ulster/Ireland)

20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs/England)

21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets/Wales)

22. Bundee Aki (Connacht/Ireland)

23. Elliot Daly (Saracens/England)

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