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British and Irish Lions skipper Paul O’Connell will have his third second-row partner in four games when the tourists meet kwaZulu-Natal Sharks here on Wednesday.
The latest lock to team up with the giant, fair-haired Irishman is Alun-Wyn Jones, one of seven Welshmen named in the starting line-up for the match at the 50,000-seat Absa Stadium in the Indian Ocean city.
O’Connell is among six members of the Irish Grand Slam-winning squad chosen and England hooker Lee Mears and flanker Tom Croft complete the line-up as the Lions seek to preserve a 100 percent record on this tour.
Coach Ian McGeechan has retained four of the team that survived a late scare to defeat Free State Cheetahs 26-24 in Bloemfontein last Saturday, when a late drop-goal attempt from the local team was just off-target.
With Super 14 champions Northern Bulls not on the tour schedule, the Sharks would ordinarily pose the biggest threat among the seven non-Test opponents the Lions face.
But 10 Sharks are unavailable because of Springbok call-ups so the strength of a team that failed to reach the Super 14 semi-finals after leading the table for many weeks could be severely diluted.
“The next two matches are obviously critical in the development of the Test team,” said McGeechan, the Scottish architect-in-chief of a 2-1 series win over the Boks 12 years ago.
“I am delighted that as we head into our fourth match we have only one player who is unavailable for selection. The players and medical staff have managed the injuries in a very professional way.
“This is crucial as we enter matches against two of South Africa’s strongest provinces in the Sharks and Western Province in the space of four days.”
Lions
Lee Byrne (WAL); Shane Williams (WAL), Brian O’Driscoll (IRL), Jamie Roberts (WAL), Luke Fitzgerald (IRL); Ronan O’Gara (IRL), Mike Phillips (WAL); Jamie Heaslip (IRL), David Wallace (IRL), Tom Croft (ENG); Paul O’Connell (IRL, capt), Alun-Wyn Jones (WAL); Adam Jones (WAL), Lee Mears (ENG), Gethin Jenkins (WAL)Replacements: Matthew Rees (WAL), Phil Vickery (ENG), Simon Shaw (ENG), Joe Worsley (ENG), Mike Blair (SCO), Riki Flutey (ENG), Leigh Halfpenny (WAL)
Sharks
Stefan Terblanche; Chris Jordaan, Andries Strauss, Riaan Swanepoel, Luzuko Vulindlu; Monty Dumond, Rory Kockott; Keegan Daniel, Jean Deysel, Jacques Botes; Johann Muller (capt), Steven Sykes; Jannie du Plessis, Skipper Badenhorst, Deon CarstensReplacements: Craig Burden, Patrick Cilliers, Albert van den Berg, Michael Rhodes, Charl MacLeod, Guy Cronje, Lwazi Mvovo
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.