Lions tour: Keenan, Gibson-Park to get first starts against Queensland Reds
Ireland's fullback Hugo Keenan and scrumhalf Jamison Gibson-Park will get their first taste of action on the
Lions tour
in Wednesday's match against the Queensland Reds.
Lions coach Andy Farrell again rung the changes in his team for the second tour match in Australia against the Reds at Brisbane's Lang Park.
The Irish pair, who were both struggling with injury niggles, feature in a backline that will again be steered by flyhalf Finn Russell.
Keenan, who had been carrying a calf injury in recent weeks, said the plan was always for him to return for the Reds game.
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'It's been pretty smooth sailing ... and now just excited to get stuck in and get out there with the lads,' the 29-year-old told reporters.
Bundee Aki, Jack Conan, Ronan Kelleher and Andrew Porter are also named in the starting line-up, with Finlay Bealham, James Ryan and Garry Ringrose named among the replacements.
Conan, the only specialist number eight in the squad, replaces young Englishman Henry Pollock in a back row completed by Welsh openside Jac Morgan and blindside Tom Curry.
Skipper Maro Itoje, who led the Lions in their loss to Argentina in Dublin on June 20th, returns to the second row in partnership with Ollie Chessum at the heart of the new-look pack after hooker Dan Sheehan captained the side against the Force.
However, the Lions have confirmed Welsh scrumhalf Tomos Williams suffered a tour-ending hamstring injury last weekend.
Williams sustained the injury scoring his second try in the 54-7 victory over Western Force in Perth last Saturday and will be replaced in the squad by Scotland's Ben White.
Farrell said the loss of the Gloucester player robbed the group of an outstanding player.
'We've only been together for a few weeks now but his character is everything for a Lions tour you want to have in your group,' Farrell told a press conference on Monday.
'He's very popular amongst the group so that makes it a little bit tougher for all.'
Farrell said Williams's replacement White and fullback Blair Kinghorn would join the camp later on Monday.
In Kinghorn's case, his celebrations with Toulouse had been cut short to join the Lions, days after helping the French team win the Top 14 title.
Team: 15–Hugo Keenan, 14–Tommy Freeman, 13–Huw Jones, 12–Bundee Aki, 11–Duhan van der Merwe, 10–Finn Russell, 9–Jamison Gibson-Park, 8–Jack Conan, 7–Jac Morgan, 6–Tom Curry, 5–Ollie Chessum, 4–Maro Itoje (captain), 3–Will Stuart, 2–Ronan Kelleher, 1–Andrew Porter.
Replacements: 16–Luke Cowan-Dickie, 17–Ellis Genge, 18–Finlay Bealham, 19–James Ryan, 20–Ben Earl, 21–Alex Mitchell, 22–Fin Smith, 23–Garry Ringrose. – Reuters
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