Rugby Union Five set for Lions bow against Force

British and Irish Lions head coach Warren Gatland has completely changed his starting line-up to take on the Western Force.

Having seen his team destroy the Barbarians 59-8 in Hong Kong on Saturday, Gatland has decided to give a host of other players some playing time against the Force in Perth on Wednesday.

Gatland has brought in a full complement of 15 players into his starting line-up, including five players who will make their Lions debut against the Western Australian Super Rugby club.

England’s Manu Tuilagi and Dan Cole, Irish pair Sean O’Brien and Rory Best, as well as Ian Evans of Wales will all make their maiden appearances for the Lions when they start against the Force.

Ireland legend Brian O’Driscoll will captain the side in the first hit-out of his fourth Lions tour as regular skipper Sam Warburton is still sidelined with a knee injury.

Jonny Sexton and Conor Murray will form a new halves pairing, replacing Owen Farrell and Mike Phillips.

Although the Lions started their tour with a big win in Hong Kong, Gatland will be looking for improvement in Perth as his team were rusty to say the least against the Barbarians.

Both the line-out and scrum were solid but their attack left a lot to be desired as pass after pass either missed the mark or hit the ground instead of its intended receiver.

The Force will be without Wallabies squad members Nick Cummins and Ben McCalman, while coach Michael Foley will also rest most of his regular starters ahead of Saturday’s Super Rugby clash with the Waratahs.

Foley’s side ended a five-game Super Rugby losing streak with a 19-18 victory over the bottom-placed Highlanders on May 25 but it has been a long season for the Force, who have managed just three victories from 14 games.

The Lions lack combinations at this early stage of the tour but boast a far superior team on paper and should run up a big score against a second-string Force team.

Warren Gatland’s men will not have things all their own way against a Force side that rarely shirks the tough stuff but despite the likely battle scars, the Lions should wrap up a resounding win.

Article source: http://www.sportspromedia.com/news/bbc_to_broadcast_england_rugby_tests_in_argentina/

Rugby Union Five set for Lions bow against Force