Hogg to captain Lions tour opener in South Africa

Rugby

Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg will captain the British & Irish Lions in the opening match of their South African tour, when they take on the Gauteng Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Welsh winger Josh Adams is the only player retained in the starting lineup from the side that beat Japan 28-10 in Edinburgh last weekend in a warm-up game before their departure for Johannesburg.

Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris and Jonny Hill will all be debuting for the Lions from the start and it is likely that Luke Cowan-Dickie, Zander Fagerson, Sam Simmonds and Gareth Davies will get a first taste of Lions action off the replacement’s bench.

The side includes four players from the Exeter Chiefs team that lost last Saturday’s Premiership final at Twickenham and who had not been part of the Lions’ training camp in Jersey.

“It’s good to have arrived in Johannesburg and get the Tour underway,” Lions coach Warren Gatland said in a statement announcing the team on Thursday.

“We had a pleasing win last week up in Edinburgh, but there’s still plenty we need to get right on Saturday.

“I’ve been encouraged by the way the boys have trained this week. I feel it’s gone up a level from where we were in Jersey and we’re starting to see a better understanding of some of our tactics.

“There’s some new player combinations for us to have a look at this Saturday – which is good information for us as the test series approaches.”

Lions Starting XV

Stuart Hogg (captain), Louis Rees-Zammit, Chris Harris, Owen Farrell, Josh Adams, Finn Russell, Ali Price, Taulupe Faletau, Hamish Watson, Courtney Lawes, Jonny Hill, Maro Itoje, Kyle Sinckler, amie George, Wyn Jones.

Replacements: Luke Cowan-Dickie, Mako Vunipola, Zander Fagerson, Iain Henderson, Sam Simmonds, Gareth Davies, Bundee Aki, Elliot Daly.

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