Lions Team to Face Sharks

08/06/09 11:55 Filed in: Team Announcement
Natal-Sharks
The British & Irish Lions side to face the Natal Sharks is as follows:

1. Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
2. Lee Mears (Bath/England)
3. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
4. Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)
5. Paul O'Connell (Munster/Ireland) (c)
6. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England)
7. David Wallace (Munster/Ireland)
8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland)

9. Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales)
10. Ronan O'Gara (Munster/Ireland)
11. Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster/Ireland)
12. Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales)
13. Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland)
14. Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales)
15. Lee Byrne (Ospreys/Wales)

Replacements:
16. Matthew Rees (Scarlets/Wales)
17. Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England)
18. Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England)
19. Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England)
20. Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland)
21. Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England)
22. Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

It's an interesting side and one that has some selection choices. Despite Gordon D'Arcy's late call up at centre and Riki Flutey's lack of a start so far following an injury to his knee, the management have chosen to give the successful centre combination of Roberts and O'Driscoll a second outing together.

This will be Roberts third game so far on tour having missed just one match so far. Although many thought that O'Driscoll would be used relatively sparingly, the Lions management seem to be willing to play their stars in obvious contradiction to Springbok coach PdV's policy of resting his men ahead of the first test.

Four players are being asked to back up on Saturday's performance against the Cheetahs as Paul O'Connell, Luke Fitzgerald, Shane Williams and Lee Byrne all start for a second consecutive game.

Commenting on the selection, Geech said, "I am delighted that as we head into the fourth match we only have one player who is unavailable for selection. The players and the medical staff have managed the injuries that have been sustained in a very professional manner. This is crucial as we enter matches against two of South Africa's strongest provinces in the Sharks and Western Province in the space of four days."

"This is reflected by the fact that four starting players from the Cheetahs match will back up against the Sharks, while five players are starting their third match of the tour. Those players are captain Paul O'Connell, Lee Byrne, Shane Williams, Jamie Roberts and David Wallace. Paul will start with his third different second row partner in Alun-Wyn Jones, while we also have new starting partnerships in the back three, the halfbacks and in the front row."

"The next two matches are obviously critical in the development of the Test side. While we have these new starting partnerships for the Sharks match we also have a centre pairing in Jamie Roberts and Brian O'Driscoll, and a backrow of Jamie Heaslip, David Wallace and Tom Croft that have played together on tour in the Golden Lions match," added McGeechan.

Despite poor performances so far, Shane Williams is handed another start and will be looking to redeem himself in what overall looks to be a much stronger side than took the field against the Cheetahs. Alongside the centre partnership, another of units return from the Golden Lions game last Wednesday. The back row of Wallace, Heaslip and Croft return, while Alun-Wyn Jones and Paul O'Connell will once again man the engine room.

Shane Williams is the only player to have been involved in all of the Lions matches so far and he will be looking to prove his worth after an indifferent performance so far. While Tommy Bowe has been the standout winger for the tourist, the other wing berth is wide open and Leigh Halfpenny will also be hoping to get a second run from the bench.

The management is clearly not shy about letting their test team play together and while this side doesn't look like a test outfit from 1-15, it is an extremely strong side with only few players that could be described as outside test bets at this stage.

The match is scheduled for Wednesday 10th June 6.10PM BST/7.10PM Local time.
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