Former England captain Owen Farrell has been named within the replacements for the British & Irish Lions’ tour match towards an Australia-New Zealand Invitational XV in Adelaide on Saturday.
Eire’s Tadhg Beirne will captain the Lions for the second time as Maro Itoje — captain of their win towards ACT Brumbies on Wednesday — is rested.
The Lions additionally introduced that Scotland fullback Blair Kinghorn had “acquired optimistic information” following a scan on a knee harm sustained early within the victory over the Brumbies on Wednesday.
There have been fears that the harm may be critical, inflicting head coach Andy Farrell a possible headache at fullback following the intense harm that ended Elliot Daly’s tour and the scratchy type of Eire’s Hugo Keenan.
Jamie Osborne will be a part of the Lions to offer extra coaching cowl, leaving the Eire squad in Portugal.
Lions head coach Andy Farrell introduced son Owen into the squad final week following Daly’s damaged arm, which dominated the versatile again out of the three-match take a look at collection towards the Wallabies.
The 33-year-old playmaker Farrell slots in regardless of not enjoying a take a look at since 2023 and after coming off an injury-plagued season in French membership rugby. The match-day squad is way modified from the lineup that laboured to a 36-24 win over the ACT Brumbies in Canberra on Wednesday, although a number of gamers have been retained.
Winger Mack Hansen and unfastened ahead Henry Pollock, who every performed off the bench towards the Brumbies, have been included within the beginning 15. England again Marcus Smith has additionally been retained on the bench after changing Kinghorn in Canberra.
Andy Farrell, who defended Owen’s inclusion final week, mentioned on Thursday his son was no completely different to different teammates in needing to catch up quick to the Lions’ playbook.
“He is the identical as everybody else who’s needed to rise up to hurry fairly shortly,” Farrell mentioned at a information convention in Adelaide on Thursday.
“Everybody needed to at first and some have are available in since. I feel the artwork of this stage of the tour is mentally being as switched on as you presumably can. There’s not that a lot coaching that you are able to do. We’re at a captain’s run tomorrow and that is the preparation for this sport.”
Farrell’s staff will face 14 take a look at gamers within the AUNZ line-up coached by Les Kiss on the Adelaide Oval, their ultimate run-out earlier than the primary take a look at towards Australia on July 19.
“As a unit, how they gel collectively, there’s just a little little bit of unknown there,” Farrell mentioned of their opponents. “It seems like a formidable aspect, does not it, that is going to be laborious to cease.”
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– ACT Brumbies 24-36 British and Irish Lions: Ought to the Wallabies be scared?
– British and Irish Lions: Owen Farrell makes any staff higher – Itoje
