‘ALUN WYN TO LEAD LIONS’- REPORT
Shock Test team leaked:
ALUN Wyn Jones is set to captain a Lions team for the first Test that does not feature Liam Williams, Taulupe Faletau or Josh Adams.
The Lions have confirmed they will announce their side ahead of schedule at some stage this morning, but the team appears to have already leaked out before Warren Gatland could name his 23.
The Times report that Dan Biggar, Wyn Jones and Ken Owens will be the only other Welsh presence in the matchday 23, with the excluben.james@walesonline.co.uk sions of Faletau and Adams the most startling of the Welsh omissions. It is unclear if Williams has fully recovered from the head injury he suffered against South Africa A. The trio are all set to miss out on selection for the matchday squad, with Stuart Hogg, Duhan van der Merwe and Jack Conan all in line to start, according to The Times.
England hooker Luke CowanDickie starts ahead of Ken Owens, while Ali Price is reportedly set to get the nod ahead of Conor Murray and Gareth Davies at scrum-half. The centre pairing of Robbie Henshaw and Elliot Daly will continue from last Saturday’s match with the Stormers, while Courtney Lawes and Tom Curry join Conan to make up the back row.
On the replacements bench, Owens is the only Welsh interest as Gatland appears set to go for a 6-2 split – with Murray and Owen Farrell the only back cover.
THE British and Irish Lions will play the final two Tests of their series against South Africa in Cape Town in order to reduce the risk of either camp suffering additional outbreaks of coronavirus.
After Saturday’s opener at Cape Town Stadium, the tour was scheduled to relocate to Johannesburg for the remaining games.
However, the severity of the pandemic in Gauteng, where the Delta variant is causing escalating problems, has forced a rethink in conjunction with medical experts.
SA Rugby chief executive Jurie Roux said: “The data pointed in only one direction. The series has already been significantly disrupted by Covid-19 and a return to Gauteng at this time would only increase the risks.
“We now have two teams in bio-secure environments without any positive cases or anyone in isolation. To now return to the Highveld would expose the series to renewed risk.
“Everyone wants to see the two squads, at their strongest, play out an unforgettable series over the next three weekends and this decision gives us the best opportunity to see that happen.”
Both camps have been affected by coronavirus in the build-up to the series, although South Africa were hit significantly harder.
Captain Siya Kolisi and fly-half Handre Pollard were among 14 Springboks to test positive, resulting in a 10-day spell in self-isolation. Head coach Jacques Nienaber also tested positive.
Attack coach Gregor Townsend and full-back Stuart Hogg were among a handful of the tourists forced to quarantine in Johannesburg while the rest of the squad headed to Cape Town.
“We are fully supportive of this decision which we believe to be in the best interest of the Test series,” Lions managing director Ben Calveley said.
DRAGONS have completed the signing of Fiji tighthead Mesake Doge from Top 14 outfit Brive.
The 28-year old has won four caps for his country after making his debut against Georgia back in 2016, and arrives at Rodney Parade after starting the Tests against New Zealand earlier this month.
Confirming the move, Director of Rugby Dean Ryan said: “We’re pleased to sign Mesake and look forward to him linking up with us in the coming weeks.
“He’s really impressed in the recent Test series with the All Blacks and is determined to come to Wales and develop even further and make a big impression with us.”