Sheehan to captain British and Irish Lions against Western Force

Western Force v British and Irish Lions

Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth Date: Saturday, 28 June Kick-off: 11.00 BST

Coverage: Live matter commentary connected nan BBC Sport website and app

Ireland's Dan Sheehan will skipper nan British and Irish Lions successful their opening crippled connected Australian ungraded against nan Western Force connected Saturday.

The hooker is 1 of 5 players successful nan starting line-up who will make their Lions debut successful Perth, his Leinster team-mates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier being nan others.

Four much Lions are group to make their debut disconnected nan chair - fastener Ollie Chessum, centre Huw Jones, and props Andrew Porter and Will Stuart.

Northampton tyro Henry Pollock will make his first commencement astatine number 8 having travel disconnected nan chair successful nan conclusion by Argentina successful Dublin past Friday.

Head coach Andy Farrell is still without scrum-half Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan, some inching their measurement backmost from injury, truthful Elliot Daly is successful astatine full-back and Tomos Williams is rewarded for a good cameo against nan Pumas successful Dublin pinch a commencement successful nan 9 jersey.

Finn Russell, who made 3 appearances connected nan circuit of South Africa successful 2021, will commencement astatine fly-half.

Farrell goes pinch a caller midfield operation successful Ringrose and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, who will make successive starts.

Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beirne are nan only 2 players selected to commencement against Argentina and nan Force, albeit some person moved position, nan Scot from extracurricular to wrong centre and nan Irishman from fastener to blindside flanker.

British and Irish Lions: Daly, Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Williams; Schoeman, Sheehan, Furlong, Cummings, McCarthy, Beirne, Van der Flier, Pollock

Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Conan, Mitchell, Jones, M Smith

With Maro Itoje stood down for this weekend, Sheehan taking complete nan captaincy is nary existent surprise.

There were different contenders - Tuipulotu for 1 and Beirne for different - but nan hooker is arguably nan champion man successful his position successful nan world, a devastating unit successful onslaught arsenic good arsenic successful nan fundamentals of front-row play.

"He will 100% do nan occupation justness by conscionable being himself," said Farrell. "I cognize for a truth that immoderate he asks nan players to do, it won't beryllium quiet words.

"I cognize that nan work arsenic good will make him a amended player, because that's nan type of characteristic he is.

"He's a calming type power who understands what pressured situations really look for illustration astatine this type of level."

An early outcry - astir apt unwise - Sheehan could beryllium himself to beryllium nan man of nan series.

There's thing astir Russell's inclusion that gives this squad a emotion of showtime, though.

The Bath fly-half is axenic container agency and is simply a much rounded subordinate than astatine immoderate constituent successful his career. He tin thrill but he tin besides control. This has to beryllium Russell time. The Lions person said they want to onslaught and entertain and they person a brilliant astatine 10 connected Saturday.

What he has extracurricular him is simply a stellar backline.

Williams could beryllium a bolter for nan Test squad and he starts astatine nine. There's a hugely breathtaking operation of Ringrose astatine 13 and Tuipulotu astatine 12. Tuipulotu is backmost successful his earthy residence astatine wrong centre, arsenic opposed to extracurricular centre against nan Pumas and you fancy that nan Lions will beryllium each nan amended for it.

Out wide, nan Irish duo. Mack Hansen - bubbly, engaged and intelligent - and Lowe - 1 of nan astir influential and cleverest wings successful world rugby. This backline could fly.

Following nan conclusion by Argentina, and against nan weakest of nan Australian provincial sides, nan Lions must deliver, big-time. A reside must beryllium group connected Saturday.

"We'll spot really we respond," said Farrell. "The guys that are playing and taking nan section this week are a small spot fortunate successful nan consciousness that they understand really we want to get better.

"They've sewage to return work for that and to drawback a clasp of their chance, to make judge that they return this squad forward. We're disappointed to suffer immoderate game. I dislike losing, truthful does everyone else."