British & Irish Lions Head Coach, Warren Gatland, has recalled Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland), who returns from a hamstring injury to take his place in the midfield alongside Elliot Daly (Saracens, England), while Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby, Wales) also returns to the starting line-up following the birth of his daughter last night.
Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales) is also named among the replacements, following his return to the squad.
The game is the final Tour match before the start of three Tests against World Champions, 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:
15. Stuart Hogg – captain (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland) #783
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby, Wales) #836
13. Elliot Daly (Saracens, England) #822
12. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #824
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #841
10. Marcus Smith (Harlequins, England)
9. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) #843
8. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #839
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland) #847
6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #838
5. Jonny Hill (Exeter Chiefs, England) #845
4. Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales) #852
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #818
2. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England) #851
1. Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #840
Replacements:
16. Jamie George (Saracens, England) #819
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England) #787
18. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) #848
19. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, Wales) #761
20. Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England) #849
21. Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales) #850
22. Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) #844
23. Louis Rees-Zammit (Gloucester Rugby, Wales) #846
