It’s finally here: The British and Irish Lions face Australia in the first of a three-Test series that will help decide the fate of this summer’s tour.
Andy Farrell’s side will be looking to get off to a fast start after a flawless record so far Down Under that has seen them notch five straight wins, a few of which have been blowouts.
Sione Tuilopulotu has beaten out Bundee Aki to start at centre for the Lions, with Owen Farrell left out despite his impressive display in the 48-0 win over the AUNZ Invitational side last weekend, while Tom Lynagh will line up at fly-half for an Australia side ravaged by poor form and injuries.
Australia will still want to set the tone early and remind the Lions who they’re dealing with. Henry Pollock is on-record as saying a 3-0 whitewash is “definitely on the table.” We will know more whether that is on the cards after this weekend.
Here is everything you need to know.
When is the game?
When: Saturday, July 12 at 8 p.m. AEST (11 a.m. BST)
Where: Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
Match official: Ben O’Keeffe
How to watch
The match will be shown live on Sky Sports in the UK and on Stan Sport in Australia. For radio, TalkSport will be providing live commentary, while BBC Radio Wales will deliver Welsh commentary.
You can also follow ESPN’s live blog, as well as extensive news and feature coverage.
Lineups
Lions team: 15-Hugo Keenan, 14-Tommy Freeman, 13-Huw Jones, 12-Sione Tuipulotu, 11-James Lowe, 10-Finn Russell, 9-Jamison Gibson-Park, 8-Jack Conan, 7-Tom Curry, 6-Tadhg Beirne, 5-Joe McCarthy, 4-Maro Itoje (captain), 3-Tadhg Furlong, 2-Dan Sheehan, 1-Ellis Genge
Replacements: 16-Ronan Kelleher, 17-Andrew Porter, 18-Will Stuart, 19-Ollie Chessum, 20-Ben Earl, 21-Alex Mitchell, 22-Marcus Smith, 23-Bundee Aki
Australia team: 15-Tom Wright, 14-Max Jorgensen, 13-Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, 12-Len Ikitau, 11-Harry Potter, 10-Tom Lynagh, 9-Jake Gordon, 8-Harry Wilson (captain), 7-Fraser McReight, 6-Nick Champion de Crespigny, 5-Jeremy Williams, 4-Nick Frost, 3-Allan Alaalatoa, 2-Matt Faessler, 1-James Slipper.
Replacements: 16-Billy Pollard, 17-Angus Bell, 18-Tom Robertson, 19-Tom Hooper, 20-Carlo Tizzano, 21-Tate McDermott, 22-Ben Donaldson, 23-Andrew Kellaway.
Form guide
The Lions come into the game as big favourites — not just due to Australia being without Noah Lolesio and Rob Valetini — but also because of the two sides’ respective form.
The tourists, while not dominant at all times, have won all their warmup games Down Under while Australia have only won four of their last 11 Tests.
A 21-18 victory over Fiji hardly inspired confidence, while Australia lost to both Ireland and Scotland last autumn.
Lions last five games: 48-0 vs. AUNZ Invitational, 36-24 vs. ACT Brumbies, 21-10 vs. New South Wales Waratahs, 52-12 vs. Queensland Reds, 54-7 vs. Western Force.
Australia last five games: 21-18 vs. Fiji, 19-22 vs. Ireland, 13-27 vs. Scotland, 52-20 vs.Wales, 42-37 vs. England
– James Regan: Why Pollock deserves starting spot in first Test
– Full fixture list for Lions tour of Australia
– Everything you need to know about summer Lions tour
– The full 38-man Lions squad
