Lions Name Team to Play Wallabies in Melbourne

The British & Irish Lions have named the team to play the 2nd Test against the Qantas Wallabies at Etihad Stadium in Melbourne on Saturday.

The starting XV comprises five changes to the side that won in Brisbane last Saturday.

Scrum-half Ben Youngs has been promoted from the bench to replace Mike Phillips. He joins brother Tom, who plays his second Test at hooker, while flanker Dan Lydiate, who captained the Lions that beat the Rebels on Tuesday night, replaces Tom Croft and wing Tommy Bowe takes over from Alex Cuthbert on the right wing following his return to full fitness.

Two additional changes have been forced by injury. Second row Geoff Parling replaces Paul O’Connell, who suffered a fracture to his right arm in the 1st Test while Makovina Vunipola takes over Alex Corbisiero, who strained a calf muscle in the same game.

The Lions lead the Wallabies 1-0 as they head into the 2nd Test in Melbourne.

On the bench there are five changes with Ryan Grant, Sean O’Brien, Conor Murray, Tom Croft and Alex Cuthbert earning spots alongside Richard Hibbard, Dan Cole and Owen Farrell.

“We are one Test to nil up and have a wonderful chance to win our first series since 1997. Sixteen years is a long time to wait for a series win. We were very close in 2009 and the whole squad is firmly focused on victory this weekend,” said British & Irish Lions Tour Manager, Andy Irvine. “The Wallabies are always a tough proposition at home and showed in 2001, after losing the 1st Test, that they are capable of coming from behind in a series. We will not underestimate them and will be prepared.”

Head Coach, Warren Gatland, added, “We said after the First Test that we had improvement in us and we are confident that this is the case. Several players have put their hands up this week and have forced their way into the Test side while several players have returned to fitness. That is typical of Lions tours. We want players to constantly push for selection, we then select who is on form and who is available. Based on that we have selected a squad that is capable of winning the Test and securing the series.”

British & Irish Lions v Qantas Wallabies

15. Leigh Halfpenny (Cardiff Blues/Wales) 14. Tommy Bowe (Ulster/Ireland) 13. Brian O’Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland) 12. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets/Wales) 11. George North (Scarlets/Wales) 10. Jonathan Sexton (Leinster/Ireland) 9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers/England) 1. Makovina Vunipola (Saracens/England) 2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers/England) 3. Adam Jones (Ospreys/Wales) 4. Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales) 5. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers/England) 6. Dan Lydiate (Dragons/Wales) 7. Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues/Wales) Captain 8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland).

Replacements

16. Richard Hibbard (Ospreys/Wales) 17. Ryan Grant (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) 18. Dan Cole (Leicester Tigers/England) 19. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England) 20. Sean O’Brien (Leinster/Ireland) 21. Conor Murray (Munster/Ireland) 22. Owen Farrell (Saracens/England) 23. Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues/Wales).

The game will kick off at: 20:05 Melbourne time, 11:05 GMT, 17:05 Bangkok time, 18:05 Hong Kong/Singapore time.

Pictures from Lions v Barbarians in Hong Kong

As there are so many Pictures of The British and Irish Lions v The Barbarians in Hong Kong we have cut them up into different pages for your viewing pleasure. Other pages include: Page 1, Page 2, Page 3, Page 4, Page 5, Page 6, Page 7 and Page 8.

The British and Irish Lions and the Barbarians Tour 2013 Fixtures

Saturday, 1 June: Lions v Barbarians - Hong Kong Stadium, Hong Kong (Lions won: 59-8).
Wednesday, 5 June: Lions v Western Force - Patersons Stadium, Perth (Lions won: 69-17).
Saturday, 8 June: Lions v Queensland Reds - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (Lions won: 22-12).
Tuesday, 11 June: Lions v Combined Queensland-NSW Country - Hunter Stadium, Newcastle (Lions won: 64-0).
Saturday, 15 June: Lions v New South Wales Waratahs - Allianz Stadium, Sydney (Lions won: 47-17).
Tuesday, 18 June: Lions v ACT Brumbies - Canberra Stadium, Canberra (Lions lost: 12-14).
Saturday, 22 June: First Test: Lions v Australia - Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane (LIONS WON: 23-21).
Tuesday, 25 June: Lions v Melbourne Rebels - AAMI Park, Melbourne (Lions won: 35-0).
Saturday, 29 June: Second Test: Lions v Australia - Etihad Stadium, Melbourne (Lions lost: 16-15).
Saturday, 6 July: Third Test: Lions v Australia - ANZ Stadium, Sydney.