Lions & Crusaders Name Teams For Christchurch Showdown

While you were sleeping, the Lions and Crusaders were busy naming their teams for Saturday.

Warren Gatland gone with an experienced side with 9 of the starting 15 players having featured on the 2013 tour of Australia. The Lions will be hoping to bounce back from their disappointing defeat to the Blues on Wednesday, but it will be no easy task.

The Crusaders are 14 from 14 this season and have named a formidable team themselves that features the likes of All Blacks Joe Moody, Owen Franks, Sam Whitelock and Israel Dagg. Second-row Whitelock will captain the Crusaders, while Welsh captain Alun Wyn Jones will lead the Lions.

British & Irish Lions (v Crusaders, Saturday, June 10, AMI Stadium, 7.35pm NZST/8.35am BST)

15 Stuart Hogg – Glasgow Warriors, Scotland, 783
14 George North – Northampton Saints, Wales, #792
13 Jonathan Davies – Scarlets, Wales, #778
12 Ben Te’o – Worcester Warriors, England, #815
11 Liam Williams – Scarlets, Wales, #832
10 Owen Farrell – Saracens, England, #780
9 Conor Murray – Munster, Ireland, #790

1 Mako Vunipola – Saracens, England, #787
2 Jamie George – Saracens, England, #818
3 Tadhg Furlong – Leinster, Ireland, #817
4 Alun Wyn Jones (capt) – Ospreys, Wales, #761
5 George Kruis – Saracens, England, #819
6 Peter O’Mahony – Munster, Ireland, #833
7 Sean O’Brien – Leinster, Ireland, #796
8 Taulupe Faletau – Bath Rugby, Wales, #779

Replacements
16 Ken Owens – Scarlets, Wales, #829
17 Jack McGrath – Leinster, Ireland, #827
18 Dan Cole – Leicester, England, #794
19 Maro Itoje – Saracens, England, #825
20 CJ Stander – Munster, Ireland, #831
21 Rhys Webb – Ospreys, Wales, #820
22 Johnny Sexton – Leinster, Ireland, #791
23 Anthony Watson – Bath Rugby, England, #816

BNZ Crusaders team to play the British & Irish Lions:

1.   Joe Moody
2.   Codie Taylor
3.   Owen Franks
4.   Luke Romano
5.   Sam Whitelock (C)
6.   Heiden Bedwell-Curtis
7.   Matt Todd (VC)
8.   Jordan Taufua
9.   Bryn Hall
10. Richie Mo’unga
11. George Bridge
12. David Havili
13. Jack Goodhue
14. Seta Tamanivalu
15. Israel Dagg

Replacements
16. Ben Funnell
17. Wyatt Crockett
18. Michael Alaalatoa
19. Quinten Strange
20. Jed Brown
21. Mitchell Drummond
22. Mitchell Hunt
23. Tim Bateman