British and Irish Lions team: Maro Itoje hits 100 in an Ireland-heavy XV as Andy Farrell makes surprising calls for series opener
British and Irish Lions captain Maro Itoje and an inset of head coach Andy Farrell.
Andy Farrell has named his British and Irish Lions matchday squad for the Test series opener against Australia in Brisbane.
Maro Itoje will captain the famous touring team in what will be his 100th Test appearance and will be partnered by Joe McCarthy in the second-row.
Lions team named for series opener
With Blair Kinghorn sidelined through injury, Hugo Keenan starts at full-back for the clash at Suncorp Stadium, and he is joined in the backfield by right winger Tommy Freeman, while James Lowes is named on the left wing.
The Glasgow Warriors and Scotland pairing of Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones, aka ‘Huwipulotu’, are the starting centres with Finn Russell and Jamison Gibson-Park named as the fly-half and scrum-half respectively.
Farrell has thrown in a few surprise selections, particularly in his starting loose trio with Jack Conan named at number eight with Tadhg Beirne at blindside and Tom Curry in the number seven jumper.
With Itoje and McCarthy in the second-row, the starting front-row is that of loosehead Ellis Genge, hooker Dan Sheehan and tighthead Tadhg Furlong.
The Lions boss has stuck with a 5-3 split in favour of the forwards on the bench with no space for bolter Henry Pollock, who has shone on the tour to date.
Instead, Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter and Will Stuart will provide impact in the front-row with Ollie Chessum and Ben Earl covering the back-five positions, the latter possibly even centre.
English half-backs Alex Mitchell and Marcus Smith fill the 21 and 22 jerseys with Bundee Aki completing the matchday 23.
Lions boss Farrell, said: “We are entering the business end of the Tour and it is time to put in our best performance to date.
“We know how motivated the Wallabies will be and we know they are a well organised and dangerous side.
“It is a great occasion and a proud moment for Maro Itoje, who will captain the Test side, but also for those players who get the opportunity to represent the group on Saturday night.
“We have seen a flood of Lions supporters on the streets of Brisbane this week and we are looking forward to seeing a Sea of Red in the stands of the Suncorp Stadium cheering on the team.”
The matchday 23 team consists of 11 Ireland players, three of whom are on the bench, with nine Englishmen, three Scottish internationals and for the first time since the 1890s, there is not a single Welshman in the squad.
British and Irish Lions team v Australia
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Sione Tuipulotu, 11 James Lowe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Tom Curry, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Joe McCarthy, 4 Maro Itoje, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Dan Sheehan, 1 Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16 Ronan Kelleher, 17 Andrew Porter, 18 Will Stuart, 19 Ollie Chessum, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Marcus Smith, 23 Bundee Aki
Date: Saturday, July 19
Venue: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Kick-Off: 7:45pm AEST, 10:45am BST
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (NZR)
Assistant Referees: Nika Amashukeli (GRU), Andrea Piardi (FIR)
TMO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
FPRO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)
