Start for Jamie

The Lions’ strongest suit. They can afford to leave the world’s best goalkicker Leigh Halfpenny on the bench – after his training was restricted by a sore groin and the concussion symptoms he reported following the Maori game – and still hold the aces. Owen Farrell trumps Beauden Barrett in this department.

They also have a precision instrument in scrum-half Conor Murray, right, when it comes to the science of box-kicking. The Irishman may not have the quicksilver pass of Aaron Smith but nine times out of 10 his aerial bombs land perfectly for oncoming chasers and were part of the rationale behind New Zealand leaving out Julian Savea. If the weather is as wet as forecast, the kicking game increases in importance so, for the Lions’ sake, pray for rain. When England beat New Zealand in 2012 at Twickenham it was with Andy Farrell as defence coach; likewise when Ireland beat them in 2016 in Chicago. The rush defence he favours, if delivered in a relentless 80-minute assault, will put the All Blacks under a level of sustained pressure they simply will not be used to. New Zealand’s Super Rugby sides have been similarly unsettled. If the All Blacks can be hit hard, often and – critically – behind the gain line, it will deny them the momentum they thrive off. There is an assumption that because the Lions chewed up and spat out the Maori All Blacks front five a week ago, they can expect to do the same to New Zealand. Point of order – no All Blacks side ever has a weak pack. The dazzle elsewhere provides a distraction but their building blocks are invariably solid. Ireland’s win was rightly shouted from the rooftops but New Zealand were missing their first-choice second row of Sam Whitelock and Brodie Retallick, left, that day. They are in tandem tomorrow. The Lions have to dismantle New Zealand’s nuts and bolts if they want to stop the black machine and they believe they can get an edge here, but don’t for a minute think it will be easy. The All Blacks think they are quite capable of doing a number on the Lions in this area too.

KICKING NO SUBSTITUTE: Gatland has decided the Saracen is the pick of his hookers DEFENCE SET PIECE GAMBLE: Williams is a threat but prone to a ‘brain explosion’