Ospreys trio named for Lions

Hibbard, Adam and Tipuric included in 23 to face Reds

Warren Gatland has named three of the five Ospreys’ Lions in his matchday 23 to face Queensland Reds at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

Richard Hibbard, Adam Jones and Justin Tipuric feature among the replacements in a team that is captained by Sam Warburton.

The Cardiff Blues and Wales flanker will become the last of the original squad who left London on 27 May to make his Lions debut and to add to the sense of occasion he will be leading the side for the first time as well.

Three times tourist Gethin Jenkins will join Warburton in making his first appearance on the 2013 tour, while lock Geoff Parling, prop Matt Stevens, hooker Tom Youngs and his brother and scrum-half Ben Youngs will all make their run-on debuts for the Lions.

"Two games and two victories is great, but those two matches are building blocks as we head towards the Test series. We always said we would give every player a start in the first three matches and this team reflects that. It also provides us with the opportunity to continue to look at different combinations," said head coach Warren Gatland.

"For the Reds match this includes a new centre pairing and a different front five. At the same time we have several players playing their second matches on tour and some proven combinations starting the match - Ben Youngs and Owen Farrell are the incumbent England halfbacks and we have an all-Welsh backrow."

Warburton has fully recovered from the knee ligament strain he suffered in training and will form an all Wales 2013 Grand Slam back row unit with Dan Lydiate and Toby Faletau, who will be seeing action for the third game in a row.

Tour Manager Andy Irvine said: "We have played two matches so far and done very well but the stakes get higher on Saturday against the Reds, who are a leading Super Rugby side. It is the type of game we require at this point in the tour and it will be a measure of how we are progressing on the field.

"Tour captain Sam Warburton is the last of the 2013 tourists that has yet to pull on the famous red jersey. He is now fit and raring to play and it is great that he marks the occasion by becoming the 800th British & Irish Lion."

The Reds, the 2011 Super Rugby champions, were the last Australian state team to beat the Lions way back in 1971 - their second triumph over the tourists to go with their first in 1899. Their matchday 23, announced earlier in the day includes 12 Qantas Wallabies who hold 127 caps between them.

British & Irish Lions (v Queensland Reds, June 8, 7.30pm, Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane)


15. Stuart Hogg (Glasgow Warriors / Scotland)

14. Alex Cuthbert (Cardiff Blues / Wales)
13. Manusamoa Tuilagi (Leicester Tigers / England)
12. Jonathan Davies (Scarlets / Wales)
11. Tommy Bowe (Ulster / Ireland)

10. Owen Farrell (Saracens / England)
9. Ben Youngs (Leicester Tigers / England)

1. Gethin Jenkins (Toulon / Wales)
2. Tom Youngs (Leicester Tigers / England)
3. Matt Stevens (Saracens / England)
4. Richie Gray (Scotland)
5. Geoff Parling (Leicester Tigers / England)
6. Dan Lydiate (Dragons / Wales)
7. Sam Warburton (Cardiff Blues / Wales - Captain)
8. Toby Faletau (Dragons / Wales)

Replacements
16. Richard Hibbard (Ospreys / Wales)
17. Mako Vunipola (Saracens / England)
18. Adam Jones (Ospreys / Wales)
19. Paul O'Connell (Munster / Ireland)
20. Justin Tipuric (Ospreys / Wales)
21. Conor Murray (Munster / Ireland)
22. Jonathan Sexton (Leinster / Ireland)
23. George North (Scarlets / Wales)