By Aidan Leo
Ireland’s star scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park makes his eagerly awaited entrance onto Australian shores and is set to lead the British and Irish Lions from the base in their encounter with the Queensland Reds in Brisbane at Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday, July 2.
With England’s Alex Mitchell his deputy on the bench, the dynamic will make for intriguing viewing considering the two’s high likelihood of being the starter-bench combination for the Wallabies Test matches.
Finn Russell is the only player to retain his starting spot at fly-half, indicative of the continuity head coach Andy Farrell is looking for in the position.
Lions captain Maro Itoje is back to lead the side from the second row after last appearing in the tour-opening 28-24 loss to Argentina.
Combinations key for Farrell
The flanker duo of Tom Curry and Jac Morgan return after their outing in the loss to the Pumas – a combination Farrell is looking at as a potential starting pair for the Tests.
Eighth man Ben Earl, who featured against the Pumas, starts from the bench in this game.
Similarly, Duhan van der Merwe and Tommy Freeman make their returns on the wings.
However, instead of England utility-back Marcus Smith, it’s Ireland’s Hugo Keenan who joins the fray at full-back after a calf strain kept him out of potential selection against the Western Force on June 28.
Keenan is known for his consistency and solidity in marshalling the backfield.
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Irish assurance backed again
The ever-reliable Irish trio of prop Andrew Porter, hooker Ronan Kelleher, and number eight Jack Conan bring calmness and sturdiness to the team.
The trio will aim to bring the scrum and lineout dominance Farrell will be looking for, considering he will assess how Test ready his side is over the course of all the clashes with the Australian franchises.
Thus, the set-piece will be a central point of focus in Farrell’s overall assessment leading up to the Wallabies Tests.
After the Lions’ meeting with the Reds, the team heads to Sydney to face off against the NSW Waratahs at Allianz Stadium on Saturday, July 5.
British and Irish Lions 23 vs. Queensland Reds:
British and Irish Lions: 15 Hugo Keenan, 14 Tommy Freeman, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Bundee Aki, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Finn Russell, 9 Jamison Gibson-Park, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Tom Curry, 5 Ollie Chessum, 4 Maro Itoje (c), 3 Will Stuart, 2 Ronan Kelleher, 1 Andrew Porter
Replacements: 16 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17 Ellis Genge, 18 Finlay Bealham, 19 James Ryan, 20 Ben Earl, 21 Alex Mitchell, 22 Fin Smith, 23 Garry Ringrose
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