Owen Farrell will play his first match of the British & Irish Lions tour on Saturday after being named among the substitutes for the game against a combined team of Australian and New Zealand players. This will be the squad’s final warm-up fixture before the opening Test next week.
The 33-year-old last appeared in international rugby during the 2023 World Cup before taking a break to focus on personal and family commitments. He is now set to make his 19th appearance for the Lions across four tours.
Tadhg Beirne will once again lead the team, while Alex Mitchell continues his run of featuring in every match of the tour, this time as a backup scrum-half behind Ben White, who will make his first appearance for the Lions. Mack Hansen, who came on as a substitute against the Brumbies earlier in the week, will start on the right wing, with Marcus Smith joining Farrell among the replacements.
"We’re in a strong position just over a week before the first Test," said Andy Farrell, the head coach. "This is the most crucial match of the tour because it’s the next one."
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