Jamison Gibson-Park is pictured during one of the British & Irish Lions training sessions in Perth last week ©INPHO/Billy Stickland
Hugo Keenan and Jamison Gibson-Park will become the latest British & Irish Lions debutants when the tourists play the Queensland Reds at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Wednesday (kick-off 8pm local time/11am Irish time – live on Sky Sports Action & Main Event).
Their Leinster and Ireland team-mate, James Ryan, is set to make his Lions bow as a replacement, while there is a first start for Andrew Porter, and Jack Conan will wear the number 8 jersey for the first time on this tour.
There will be nine Ireland players on duty with Bundee Aki and Rónan Kelleher also part of a strong starting XV. Joining Ryan on the bench are Garry Ringrose, one of the Lions’ try scorers against the Western Force, and Finlay Bealham.
For their second outing on Australian soil, head coach Andy Farrell has made 14 changes with Scotland out-half Finn Russell the only player retained from the 54-7 win over the Force on Saturday.
Tour captain Maro Itoje returns in an all-England second row partnership with Ollie Chessum, packing down behind a front row of Porter, Kelleher, and Bath and England tighthead prop Will Stuart.
Conan gets his opportunity at the base of the scrum, combining with Tom Curry and Jac Morgan, who were two of the starting back rowers from the 1888 Cup match against Argentina at the Aviva Stadium.
Keenan and Gibson-Park, who missed Leinster’s BKT United Rugby Championship final victory due to their respective calf and glute injuries, have recovered to feature in the Lions’ new-look back-line.
Tommy Freeman and Duhan van der Merwe complete an exciting back-three, Gibson-Park will link up with Russell at half-back, and Aki joins forces with Scotland’s Huw Jones in the centre as the competition for places intensifies even more.
Farrell commented: “We know each game on this tour will be a step up from the game before, and three more players are set to make their Lions debuts on Wednesday night, so congratulations to those guys.”
In the corresponding fixture in 2013, the Lions beat the Queensland Reds 22-12, but required a 100% record off the tee from Owen Farrell as the Reds outscored their opponents by two tries to one.
Meanwhile, it has been confirmed that Tomos Williams unfortunately suffered a tour-ending hamstring injury during the Perth encounter with the Force at the weekend.
Toulon and Scotland scum half Ben White has been called up to replace him. He will join up with the squad in Brisbane.
“Unfortunately Tomos has been ruled out of the rest of the tour with a hamstring injury,” said Farrell. “Ben White will join us from the Scotland squad and will fly over from New Zealand.”
White was first capped for Scotland against England during the 2022 Guinness Six Nations Championship, and has won 29 caps for his country to date.
Lions tour manager Ieuan Evans added: “This is desperately sad news for Tomos, and we wish him all the very best in his recovery.
“Tomos is an exemplary Lion who has had a brilliant season having joined the tour after being named as Premiership Rugby’s Player of the Season. He lit up this Lions tour with both his personality and his talent.”
15. Hugo Keenan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
14. Tommy Freeman (Northampton Saints/England) #858
13. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #878
12. Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #837
11. Duhan van der Merwe (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #841
10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835
9. Jamison Gibson-Park (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
1. Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #876
2. Rónan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #864
3. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England) #877
4. Maro Itoje (Saracens/England) (capt) #825
5. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England) #875
6. Tom Curry (Sale Sharks/England) #853
7. Jac Morgan (Ospreys/Wales) #861
8. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839
Replacements:
16. Luke Cowan-Dickie (Sale Sharks/England) #851
17. Ellis Genge (Bristol Bears/England) #859
18. Finlay Bealham (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #856
19. James Ryan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
20. Ben Earl (Saracens/England) #857
21. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) #860
22. Fin Smith (Northampton Saints/England) #862
23. Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #872
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