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No England player in starting XV as Lions name team to play Japan on Saturday

By Liam Heagney
(Photo by David Rogers/Getty Images)

Warren Gatland has chosen his team for the opening match of the 2021 Lions tour, naming six Irish, five Welsh and four Scots in an Alun Wyn Jones-skippered XV that will start next Saturday’s pre-departure fixture versus Japan at Murrayfield. A four-strong England representation is restricted to bench duty.

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The Lions initially assembled last week for their South African tour with just 25 of their squad of 37 available for week one due to club commitments and those players now take up 21 of the places in the matchday 23 that will take on the Japanese before they fly to the southern hemisphere for their match against the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg on July 3.

The only exception in the week-one-players-only Lions team is the inclusion of Saracens pair Owen Farrell and Jamie George, who provide bench cover this Saturday in Edinburgh despite not being with the Lions last week. Gatland now has 33 of his 37 squad assembled in Jersey with the Exeter quartet of Sam Simmonds, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Jonny Hill and Stuart Hogg the players he has been left waiting on due to their involvement in next Saturday’s Gallagher Premiership final versus Harlequins at Twickenham.

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His five-strong Saracens contingent of Farrell, Elliot Daly, Mako Vunipola, George and Maro Itoje all linked up with the squad in Jersey in recent days as did Finn Russell of Racing 92, Kyle Sinckler of Bristol and Tom Curry of Sale following the completion of their respective club campaigns.

Speaking about his Lions team, Gatland said: “We’re anticipating a tough game against Japan – a side that likes to play at a high-tempo and shift the ball. We saw throughout the World Cup they have attacking threats across the park and a solid defence and set-piece.

“I’m pleased with the progress we have made during our training camp in Jersey so far, but we have a long way to go. You can see that the squad are starting to get to grips with our game strategies but, as always with a Lions tour, this takes time to bed in. We are in a good place though and I can tell there is a lot more to come from this group.

“Everyone in the squad will get a start before the start of the Test series, so each member of the squad can put their hand up for Test selection. We are absolutely delighted to be playing in front of 16,500 supporters in Edinburgh. I’m sure the crowd will give the players an enormous lift before we depart for South Africa on Sunday.”

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Saturday’s match at Murrayfield is the first time the Lions will play on home soil since the 2005 draw with Argentina in Cardiff before they headed to New Zealand for their tour there.

THE LIONS (vs Japan, Saturday – 3pm)
15. Liam Williams (Scarlets, Wales) #833
14. Josh Adams (Cardiff Rugby, Wales)
13. Robbie Henshaw (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #824
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby, Ireland)
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland)
10. Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales) #821
9. Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #790
1. Rory Sutherland (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland)
2. Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales) #829
3. Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
4. Iain Henderson (Ulster Rugby, Ireland) #808
5. Alun Wyn Jones – Captain (Ospreys, Wales) #761
6.Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland)
7. Hamish Watson (Edinburgh Rugby, Scotland)
8. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland)

Replacements:
16. Jamie George (Saracens, England) #819
17. Wyn Jones (Scarlets, Wales)
18. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #818
19. Courtney Lawes (Northampton Saints, England) #826
20. Taulupe Faletau (Bath Rugby, Wales) #779
21. Ali Price (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland)
22. Owen Farrell (Saracens, England) #780
23. Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England) #816

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Bull Shark 3 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

Of the rugby I’ve born witness to in my lifetime - 1990 to date - I recognize great players throughout those years. But I have no doubt the game and the players are on average better today. So I doubt going back further is going to prove me wrong. The technical components of the game, set pieces, scrums, kicks, kicks at goal. And in general tactics employed are far more efficient, accurate and polished. Professional athletes that have invested countless hours on being accurate. There is one nation though that may be fairly competitive in any era - and that for me is the all blacks. And New Zealand players in general. NZ produces startling athletes who have fantastic ball skills. And then the odd phenomenon like Brooke. Lomu. Mcaw. Carter. Better than comparing players and teams across eras - I’ve often had this thought - that it would be very interesting to have a version of the game that is closer to its original form. What would the game look like today if the rules were rolled back. Not rules that promote safety obviously - but rules like: - a try being worth 1 point and conversion 2 points. Hence the term “try”. Earning a try at goals. Would we see more attacking play? - no lifting in the lineouts. - rucks and break down laws in general. They looked like wrestling matches in bygone eras. I wonder what a game applying 1995 rules would look like with modern players. It may be a daft exercise, but it would make for an interesting spectacle celebrating “purer” forms of the game that roll back the rules dramatically by a few versions. Would we come to learn that some of the rules/combinations of the rules we see today have actually made the game less attractive? I’d love to see an exhibition match like that.

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