A nod towards the first Test? Andy Farrell names strong Lions side to face Brumbies
With less than two weeks until the first Test against Australia, Andy Farrell is beginning to shape his Test team
©PA
Andy Farrell has given the strongest indication yet of his likely Test XV, with the head coach making 14 changes for Wednesday’s clash with the Brumbies - the penultimate warm-up match for the British and Irish Lions.
Blair Kinghorn is the only player to retain his starting spot from the side that secured a scrappy 21-10 victory over the Waratahs on Saturday. The Scot shifts to full-back.
Maro Itoje will lead the side and lines up in the second row alongside Joe McCarthy, marking their first outing as a lock pairing. The latter impressed in the Lions' first game in Australia against the Western Force.
In midfield, Bundee Aki and Garry Ringrose start together for the first time in a Lions jersey, suggesting Farrell is closing in on his preferred centre partnership. Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones did put their case forward in Saturday's victory against the Waratahs but it looks as though the Lions boss could go with the Irish combination of Aki and Ringrose.
Jamison Gibson-Park and Finn Russell continue their promising partnership at half-back and they’re joined in the back three by England’s Tommy Freeman and Ireland’s James Lowe.
Ellis Genge, Dan Sheehan, and Tadhg Furlong - who made a strong impact off the bench against the Waratahs - now start together in the front row. Ollie Chessum is handed his first start of the tour at blindside flanker, with fellow Englishman Tom Curry on the openside and Ireland’s Jack Conan at eight.
Josh van der Flier and Henry Pollock are named on the bench, while Jac Morgan - who was man of the match against the Reds last Wednesday - misses out altogether.
The bench also features the front-row trio of Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, and Will Stuart, with Alex Mitchell continuing his ever-present role on the tour. Marcus Smith gets the nod over Fin Smith as the replacement fly-half, with Owen Farrell not in contention for selection but could still provide cover at 10 and 12 for the Test bench.
The Brumbies are expected to provide the toughest test on Australian soil for the Lions ahead of the first Test against the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19.
Lions Head Coach Andy Farrell, said: “In 2013 the Brumbies beat The British & Irish Lions in Canberra and this year they were the leading Australian team in Super Rugby - so we are fully aware of the challenge in front of us.
“It will also be a special occasion for Mack Hansen as he returns to his hometown and gets the opportunity to play for and represent the Lions against some of his old teammates.”
British and Irish Lions: Kinghorn, Freeman, Ringrose, Aki, Lowe, Russell, Gibson-Park; Genge, Sheehan, Furlong, Itoje, McCarthy, Chessum, Curry, Conan
Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Van der Flier, Pollock, Mitchell, M Smith, Hansen.
