What time and TV channel is Western Force vs Lions on?
Andy Farrell's charges lost their first game to Argentina, 24-28, in Dublin last Saturday and the coach is looking for immediate bounce-back.
The Lions have made 14 changes to last Saturday's side and there is little to be read into that as the Leinster and Bath contingent are now on stream and it would be usual to give all the squad an initial run out.
What is unusual is that that the player who started last week, Tadhg Beirne, had been switched from second-row to back-row, something which may signify Farrell's displeasure at last week's back-row.
There is a reading of the Lions-Argentina game suggesting Curry-Morgan-Earls were dreadful, cost the side the game, and that the absence of one or two of Jack Willis, Rory Darge, James Ritchie or, even, Peter O'Mahony was a selection error.
Western Force are considered the weakest of the four Aussie Super Rugby franchises and were further weakened when former international Kurtley Beale pulled out, injured, midweek.
Ben Donaldson, who is in the Australia's Test squad as an out-half-half but will play here at full-back, joins fellow Wallby squaddies Nic White, Nick Champion de Crespigny, Dylan Pietsch, Tom Robertson and Darcy Swain in the side.
Force's front-line internationals, back-row Carlo Tizzano, second-row Jeremy Williams and full-back/winger Harry Potter, were not released to play.
Here's what you need to know about the game:
Date: Saturday, 28 June
Venue: The match is in Perth and will be played at Optus Stadium.
Is it a big venue? Capacity, 61,266. This comes in as Australia's third biggest venue behind the MCG (Melbourne Cricket Ground) and Stadium Australia in Sydney.
What time is kick-off? 6pm local, 11am Irish.
What TV channels is it on? Sky Sports
Referee & team: Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand); AR1: Paul Williams (New Zealand), AR2: James Doleman (New Zealand); TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa); Foul Play Review Officer (FPRO): Glenn Newman (New Zealand)
Did You Know?
*Eight starters from Ireland, equals the Irish record achieved on six previous occasions, the last of which was coincidentally also against Western Force in 2013.
**Six Leinstermen in the starting XV equals London Welsh's record for the most players from one club in a Lions team, set twice on the 1971 tour, against Hawkes' Bay and Auckland.
***Only ten 'midweek' teams have ever beaten the Lions in Australia: Queensland in 1899 & 1971, Metropolis in 1899, Western Districts in 1908, NSW in 1908, 1930, 1950 & 1959, Australia A in 2001 and ACT Brumbies in 2013.
Quotes corner
Andy Farrell, Lions Head Coach: We'll see on Saturday how we respond. The guys that are taking the field this week are a little bit fortunate in the sense they understand how we want to get better. They've got to take responsibility for that, and grab hold of their chance of taking this team forward."
Simon Cron, Force Head Coach: "Assume some things. Believe nothing. Confirm on field. I will load the gun and let them go at it. It's challenging. It is a different beast," Cron told reporters on Thursday. "It's a once-in-a-lifetime for a lot of these guys.
"We sat as a group and had a bit of a yarn about how old were you 12 years ago, how old will you be 12 years from now. That's the importance of this game and the special type of game that it is. They are under no illusion around that.
"A lot of it comes down to fundamentals, you've got to be able to carry clean, you've got to be able to do all the things that are going to help us play the game we want to play."
"It doesn't get too complicated. Then there's a mindset. We've got a couple of guys that are pretty strong mentally. My expectation is they will lead the boys into it and the other boys will follow. That's what leadership is. Biggest players stepping forward on the biggest movement."
Dan Sheehan, Lions Captain: "It is obviously a massive privilege," said Sheehan at the team announcement. "Obviously at the start of the week I was just doing all I can to put on a Red jersey for the first time.
"You look around the room and you see so many people who are capable of captaining this team. Obviously I don't have a whole lot of captaining experience but I'll just lean on the lads who do. I just need to be myself, do what I usually do and that's why I am here in the first place and I am looking forward to the game."
*Dan Sheehan becomes only the 26th player to skipper the team on his Lions debut and the first since Ken Owens against the Blues in 2017. Ciaran Fitzgerald was the last Irishman to captain on Lions debut: v Wanganui in 1983.
**The Western Force had the best lineout success rate (88.6%) in Super Rugby this season. Darcy Swain and Jeremy Williams stole eight lineouts apiece (joint-most); Will Harris stole seven.
**The Force scored nine maul tries in Super Rugby this season (2nd overall). When in the opposition 22, they opted to catch and drive with nearly 70% of their lineouts
Betting odds:
Western Force 20/1
Draw 50/1
British & Irish Lions 1/40
Handicap: Western Force +27 at 10/11
TEAMS
Western Force: Donaldson; Grealy, Proctor, Stewart, Pietsch; Harford, White (capt); T Robertson, Paenga-Amosa, Hoskins, Carter, Swain, Harris, Champion de-Crespigny, Ekuasi
Replacements: Dolly, Pearce, Tauakipulu, Faifua, Prinsep, H Robertson, Burey, Kuenzie
15. Elliot Daly (Saracens/England) #822
14. Mack Hansen (Connacht Rugby/Ireland) #867
13. Garry Ringrose (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
12. Sione Tuipulotu (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland) #863
11. James Lowe (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
10. Finn Russell (Bath Rugby/Scotland) #835
9. Tomos Williams (Gloucester Rugby/Wales) #866
1. Pierre Schoeman (Edinburgh Rugby/Scotland) #868
2. Dan Sheehan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) (c)
3. Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #818
4. Scott Cummings (Glasgow Warriors/ Scotland) #869
5. Joe McCarthy (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
6. Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby/Ireland) #838
7. Josh van der Flier (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
8. Henry Pollock (Northampton Saints/England) #865
16. Ronan Kelleher (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #864
17. Andrew Porter (Leinster Rugby/Ireland)
18. Will Stuart (Bath Rugby/England)
19. Ollie Chessum (Leicester Tigers/England)
20. Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby/Ireland) #839
21. Alex Mitchell (Northampton Saints/England) #860
22. Huw Jones (Glasgow Warriors/Scotland)
23. Marcus Smith (Harlequins/ England) #855
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