ROG To Lead Lions in Cape Town

22/06/09 12:48 Filed in: Team Announcement
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The British & Irish Lions to face the Emerging Springboks in Cape Town are as follows:

15. Keith Earls (Munster/Ireland)
14. Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales)
13. Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England)
12. Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster/Ireland)
11. Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster/Ireland)
10. Ronan O'Gara (Munster/Ireland) Captain
9. Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers/England)
8. Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
7. Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
6. Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England)
5. Nathan Hines (Perpignan/Scotland)
4. Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster/Ireland)
3. John Hayes (Munster/Ireland)
2. Ross Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland)
1. Tim Payne (London Wasps/England)

Replacements:
16. Lee Mears (Bath/England)
17. Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England)
18. Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England)
19. David Wallace (Munster/Ireland)
20. Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland)
21. James Hook (Ospreys/Wales)
22. Ugo Monye (Harlequins/England)

Tim Payne and John Hayes, both fresh off the plane, will start at prop, while Ronan O'Gara captains the side from 10 and becomes the fourth irishman to skipper the Lions on this tour. Gordon D'Arcy and Riki Flutey are handed another opportunity to try and gel as a centre pairing and Lee Mears, Phil Vickery, David Wallace and Ugo Monye, all starters in the 1st test, are included on the bench.

James Hook is selecting on the bench after being given the all clear by a consultant neurologist. It's a welcome boost for the Lions after a difficult past week.

Tour manager Gerald Davies said in the press conference, "Following the disappointment of Saturday's result against South Africa in Durban the squad is now concentrating on the next challenge and getting the tour back to winning ways. The Emerging Springboks represent the perfect opportunity for the squad to put the First Test behind them and to create a focus for the Second Test on Saturday."

Geech added, "There were many positives that came out of the Test match on Saturday. The Emerging Springboks match, and our training this week, will allow us to build on these plus address areas we know we need to improve on. There is still a lot to play for and the players are well aware of that."

"The mood in camp is still very positive due to the fact that we did come very close to winning on Saturday and the fact that we created so many scoring opportunities. The players are well aware of the importance of the match tomorrow against the Emerging Springboks. We need to step up our performance against a talented outfit whose players, like ours, will be determined to show that they are worthy of a Test place. It should be a great match."

"The two latest squad members Tim Payne and John Hayes will start against the Emerging Springboks to give them immediate field time. This is important in terms of the balance of the squad as three of our other props played in the Test match only two days ago and Andrew Sheridan is recovering from injury."

"Ronan O'Gara will lead the team against the Emerging Springboks which is a well deserved honour for a senior player who has served Munster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions with distinction," added McGeechan.
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