Maro Itoje will captain the Lions against Queensland Reds Queensland Reds v British and Irish Lions Venue:Suncorp Stadium, BrisbaneDate:Wednesday, 2 JulyKick-off:11.00 BST Coverage:Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app Maro Itoje returns to captain the British and Irish Lions team who face the Queensland Reds at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Wednesday. The Englishman did not feature in the squad that beat the Western Force on Saturday but is back as head coach Andy Farrell makes 14 changes to his starting line-up. Outside-half Finn Russell is the only player who has retained his place. Ireland's Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park will make their first appearances on tour at full-back and scrum-half. Gibson-Park is in for the luckless Tomos Williams who is now out of the squad through injury. Scotland's Ben White is on his way to Brisbane from New Zealand, where Gregor Townsend's squad are based before their game against the Maori All Blacks in Whangerei on Saturday. There will be a first Lions tour start not just for the two Irishmen but also for Huw Jones, who forms a midfield partnership with Bundee Aki. It is the third different centre combination in three games. Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher and Will Stuart will also start for the first time in the front-row as will Ollie Chessum at lock and Jack Conan at number eight. Ireland's James Ryan is set to make his Lions debut off the bench against the Reds. "Here we go now," said Farrell in rainy Brisbane. "This is proper touring. Games are coming thick and fast. "Three games in eight days and it keeps on rolling after that, so this is the exciting part of the tour for us. We've just been outlining to the lads this morning, actually, what the weeks are going to look like. "Not much training out there on the field, but plenty of mental preparation. We see it as a great opportunity for ourselves to be fast-tracking our ambition, our potential as a team." British and Irish Lions:Keenan, Freeman, Jones, Aki, Van der Merwe, Russell, Gibson-Park; Porter, Kelleher, Stuart, Itoje, Chessum, Curry, Morgan, Conan Replacements:Cowan-Dickie, Genge, Bealham, Ryan, Earl, Mitchell, F Smith, Ringrose A couple of real heavy-hitters are making their Lions debut against the Reds. Keenan is one of them. Before this tour started, the full-back slot for the Test series looked to be a battle between Keenan and Blair Kinghorn, who has just won a second Top 14 title with Toulouse. Kinghorn is not expected in Brisbane until late on Monday evening local time. He has much ground to make up given that Elliot Daly has stolen a march on the Irishman and the Scot at 15. Keenan has a chance to lay down his own marker on Wednesday. Kinghorn will have to wait. Farrell says that everyone will get a proper chance to impress, though. "The amount of games that we have got, it does not really matter what type of thoughts that you have got in your head, you have got to be open-minded enough to allow people to challenge for that Test spot," said the coach. "That's what we are trying to do. We are trying to get as good as we possibly can so that we're ready for that first Test. "Everyone would love the door to be open enough to be able to do that. The nice thing about this run-in to the first Test is that we have a week before it so we still got plenty of opportunity for all in the group." Gibson-Park is the second of those marquee men making his Lions debut against the Reds. His partnership with Russell could be utterly exhilarating. Two natural footballers, two men with an enormous skill-set, two visionaries on the rugby field. This is one of the combinations everybody has been waiting for. Farrell says he is still trying different combinations - and he clearly is - but this is the one he will surely have in mind for the first Test. The captain is back. "I feel good," said Itoje in Brisbane, when asked about the large number of minutes - more than 2,000 - he has played this season. "I was actually thinking about this the other day. I felt refreshed coming into this environment. Often when you talk about game minutes and load, part of it is the physical load, but a lot of it is the mental load. "Coming into this new environment and spending time with new players, new systems, new coaches everything has been really refreshing for me. "In my career I have had a lot of consistency with club and country so just to have a different stimulus has been great."
Itoje returns as Lions make 14 changes to face Reds
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TruthLens AI Summary
Maro Itoje is set to return as captain of the British and Irish Lions for their match against Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on July 2. Itoje, who was not part of the squad that secured a victory against the Western Force, leads a dramatically altered team featuring 14 changes. The only player retaining his position is outside-half Finn Russell. This match will see the debut appearances of Irish players Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park, who will step into the full-back and scrum-half roles, respectively. Gibson-Park replaces the injured Tomos Williams, while Scottish player Ben White is traveling to Brisbane from New Zealand to join the squad. The Lions will also see Huw Jones making his first tour start alongside Bundee Aki, marking the third different centre combination in as many games. The front row will also feature several players making their first starts, including Andrew Porter, Ronan Kelleher, Will Stuart, Ollie Chessum at lock, and Jack Conan at number eight. Notably, James Ryan from Ireland will make his Lions debut off the bench against the Reds.
Head coach Andy Farrell emphasized the significance of this stage of the tour, stating that the team will be engaged in multiple games over a short period, which presents an exciting opportunity for player development and team cohesion. Farrell mentioned that despite limited training time, mental preparation is crucial as the team gears up for the first Test. He highlighted the importance of every player having the chance to compete for a Test spot, particularly with the upcoming matches and the varying combinations being tested. Farrell is keen to explore the partnership between Gibson-Park and Russell, both of whom possess exceptional skills and vision, suggesting that this combination could be pivotal for the Lions as they progress. Itoje expressed his enthusiasm about returning and the refreshing experience of engaging with new teammates and systems, which he believes has been beneficial for his mental and physical readiness ahead of the matches to come.
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