British & Irish Lions head coach Andy Farrell has named a strong matchday squad for their fixture against the New South Wales Waratahs, set for Saturday night at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney.
Tadhg Beirne of Munster and Ireland will captain the side, taking over leadership duties from Maro Itoje, who is rested after leading the Lions to victory over the Queensland Reds. Beirne will partner fellow Irishman James Ryan of Leinster in the second row.
The front row features Edinburgh and Scotland prop Pierre Schoeman, Sale Sharks and England hooker Luke Cowan-Dickie, and Connacht and Ireland tighthead Finlay Bealham.
In the back row, England’s Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints) lines up at blindside flanker, with Ireland’s Josh van der Flier (Leinster) on the openside and England’s Ben Earl (Saracens) at number eight.
The halfback pairing will see Northampton teammates Alex Mitchell and Fin Smith at scrum-half and fly-half respectively. In midfield, Scotland’s Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, both of Glasgow Warriors, combine in the centres.
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The back three includes Ireland’s Hugo Keenan (Leinster) and Mack Hansen (Connacht), while Scotland’s Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse) completes the trio. Both Keenan and Kinghorn will be making their Lions debuts alongside Ben Earl.
“This is another important test for the group,” said Andy Farrell. “Congratulations to Tadhg on captaining the side, and to Blair, Hugo, and Ben on their first Lions appearances. The Waratahs will be eager to impress, so we expect a fast, physical contest.”
Kick-off is scheduled for 11:00am BST, and the match will be broadcast live on Sky Sports across the UK and Ireland.
The Lions have confirmed that Elliot Daly (Saracens and England) has been ruled out of the remainder of the Tour after fracturing his forearm during the clash against the Queensland Reds. Owen Farrell has been called up as his replacement and will join the team in Sydney on Friday evening.
British & Lions Matchday Squad vs New South Wales Waratahs
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby / Scotland) #868
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks / England) #851
3. Finlay Bealham (Connacht Rugby / Ireland) #856
4. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby / Ireland) #838 (Captain)
5. James Ryan (Leinster Rugby / Ireland) #880
6. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints / England) #865
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby / Ireland) #874
8. Ben Earl (Saracens / England) #857
9. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints / England) #860
10. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints / England) #862
11. Blair Kinghorn (Toulouse / Scotland)
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors / Scotland) #863
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors / Scotland) #878
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby / Ireland) #867
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby / Ireland)
Replacements:
16. Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby / Ireland) #873
17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears / England) #859
18. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby / Ireland) #818
19. Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby / Ireland) #871
20. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors / Scotland) #869
21. Jac Morgan (Ospreys / Wales) #861
22. Ben White (Toulon / Scotland)
23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins / England) #855
