Welcome to the Wide World of Sports’ live report of the highly anticipated clash between the Queensland Reds and the British and Irish Lions in Brisbane.
The Lions kicked off their Australian tour with an impressive 54-7 victory over the Western Force on Saturday. For this match, only two players from that triumph are retained, including Scotland’s Finn Russell, who will partner with Irish halfback Jamison Gibson-Park, making his debut for the Lions after recovering from a glute injury.
In contrast, the Queensland Reds will see fullback Jock Campbell step up as captain, filling the leadership void left by Wallabies stars Tate McDermott, Harry Wilson, and Fraser McReight, all of whom are unavailable for this encounter.
The match is set to commence at 8:00 PM AEST, with pre-game coverage starting on Stan Sport from 7:30 PM.
British and Irish Lions Team:
- Starting XV: Elliot Daly (England), Tommy Freeman (England), Huw Jones (Scotland), Bundee Aki (Ireland), Duhan van der Merwe (Scotland), Finn Russell (Scotland), Jamison Gibson-Park (Ireland), Jack Conan (Ireland), Jac Morgan (Wales), Tom Curry (England), Ollie Chessum (England), Maro Itoje (England, captain), Will Stuart (England), Ronan Kelleher (Ireland), Andrew Porter (Ireland).
- Reserves: Luke Cowan-Dickie (England), Ellis Genge (England), Finlay Bealham (Ireland), James Ryan (Ireland), Ben Earl (England), Alex Mitchell (England), Fin Smith (England), Garry Ringrose (Ireland).
Queensland Reds Team:
- Starting XV: Jock Campbell (c), Lachie Anderson, Josh Flook, Hunter Paisami, Tim Ryan, Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, Kalani Thomas, Joe Brial, John Bryant, Seru Uru, Lakhan Salakaia-Loto, Josh Canham, Jeffery Toomaga-Allen, Matt Faessler, Aidan Ross.
- Reserves: Josh Nasser, George Blake, Sef Fa’agase, Ryan Smith, Angus Blyth, Connor Vest, Louis Werchon, Isaac Henry.
As the teams prepare for battle, all eyes will be on how the Reds respond to the challenge presented by the formidable Lions squad. Stay tuned for updates and analysis throughout the match.