Iain Henderson handed British and Irish Lions captaincy for midweek Sharks clash as Tom Curry, Josh Navidi and Adam Beard are all set to make their debuts after being named in XV
Iain Henderson has taken over the British & Irish Lions captaincy in a re-jigged team to face the Sharks on Wednesday.
The Irish lock will skipper a XV that includes debutants Tom Curry, Josh Navidi and Adam Beard.
As expected, Warren Gatland has heavily rotated his team for the fixture at Emirates Airline Park.
The head coach had promised to hand starts to all of his 37 squad players in the opening three fixtures, before fine-tuning his Test combinations.
‘It’s a quick turnaround from Saturday, but we’ll be ready to go by Wednesday night,’ said Gatland.
‘I’m pleased we managed to come through the weekend’s game unscathed, and the boys have rested and recovered well. We feel like we’re slowly building, but, as ever, there’s still room for improvement in all facets of our game.
‘Wednesday night is another chance for us to have a look at a few more combinations. I’m looking forward to seeing how the back row goes; it’s an exciting mixture and one that we hope will offer something a bit different.
‘We expect another physical test against a side who are known for their power play and ambition.
‘My congratulations to Tom, Josh and Adam ahead of their first starts in a Lions jersey.’
Flankers Curry and Navidi will combine with No 8 Sam Simmonds in a new-look back-row.
Beard and Henderson combine at lock, behind a front-row combination of Mako Vunipola, Luke-Cowan Dickie and Zander Fagerson.
In the backline, Dan Biggar is reunited with Gareth Davies to form a Welsh half-back pairing.
Despite starting in the 13 jersey just once for England, Elliot Daly is named in the midfield with Bundee Aki.
Liam Williams takes over from Stuart Hogg at full-back, with Anthony Watson and Duhan van der Merwe named on the wings.