Stuart Hogg will lead the British & Irish Lions in their match against the Stormers this Saturday, with Marcus Smith set to start and Alun Wyn Jones named on the bench.
The Scotland full-back is back to return from a period of self-isolation following a Covid-19 outbreak within the squad last week, as a whole new team is named from the one which lost 17-13 to South Africa ‘A’ on Wednesday evening.
Marcus Smith, who flew out to join the squad on Sunday, will be partnered by Ali Price in the half-backs for his Lions debut a week after winning this second cap for England.
Crucially, Robbie Henshaw is back fit again from a mild hamstring strain to start in the centres after the Lions were exposed by the power of Damian de Allende on Wednesday night, placing doubt on whether head coach Warren Gatland will play two No.10s in the first Test.
The Ireland centre will be joined by Elliot Daly in the midfield, while Josh Adams is back in the mix after watching the birth of his daughter on Wednesday evening.
Alun Wyn Jones is free to take his place among the replacements in time for the final match before the Test series begins next Saturday agains the Springboks.
“It’s an important game as it’s the final chance for the coaching group to see the players perform prior to the start of the Test Series,” said Gatland.
“For the matchday 23 it’s their last opportunity to stake a claim for a Test place, so I expect to see a highly motivated group of players.
“It is particularly pleasing to be able to name Stuart Hogg in the squad. He’s not had much luck on Lions Tours to date, so it’ll be great to see him cross the whitewash again with the captain’s armband.
“I’m also delighted that Marcus will get his first start in a Lions jersey. I’ve been really impressed with his attitude since coming into camp this week; he’s been like a sponge for information.
“Obviously it’s a tight turnaround from Wednesday’s game but we’re in pretty good shape. The South Africa ‘A’ game was a physical encounter – we always knew it would be – but we’ve come out of it pretty much intact and ready to go again. Liam Williams will begin his return to play protocol following his HIA.
“We learnt a lot from Wednesday’s game and I hope the defeat will serve us well. There’re still some areas of the game we need to tighten up on, particularly reducing our turnover rate.
“Time and again on this Tour we’ve had to adapt in the face of the challenges created by COVID-19. I couldn’t be prouder of the staff and the players for the role each of them has played to get us to this point on the Tour.”
British & Irish Lions team to play the Stormers (Saturday, 5pm BST kick-off)
British & Irish Lions: 15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Josh Adams, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ali Price; 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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