O'Gara to captain Lions
Ronan O'Gara has been handed the Lions captaincy for the midweek game against the Emerging Springboks.
Last Updated: 24/06/09 11:12am
Ireland fly-half Ronan O'Gara has been handed the Lions captaincy for the midweek game against the Emerging Springboks.
O'Gara will lead a side feature two new tourists - with fellow countryman John Hayes and England prop Tim Payne going straight into the side because of injuries.
Phil Vickery, who struggled some badly in the scrum on Saturday, is named on the bench along with fellow members of the first Test team Lee Mears, David Wallace and Ugo Monye.
Martyn Williams, who came off the bench in Durban, gets a chance to stake a claim for the Test No.7 jersey -with Andy Powell, Nathan Hines and Shane Williams also pushing for call-ups.
Coach Ian McGeechan said, "There were many positives that came out of the Test match on Saturday. The Emerging Springboks match, and our training this week, will allow us to build on these plus address areas we know we need to improve on. There is still a lot to play for and the players are well aware of that.
"The mood in camp is still very positive due to the fact that we did come very close to winning on Saturday and the fact that we created so many scoring opportunities. The players are well aware of the importance of the match tomorrow against the Emerging Springboks.
"We need to step up our performance against a talented outfit whose players, like ours, will be determined to show that they are worthy of a Test place. It should be a great match.
"The two latest squad members Tim Payne and John Hayes will start against the Emerging Springboks to give them immediate field time. This is important in terms of the balance of the squad as three of our other props played in the Test match only two days ago and Andrew Sheridan is recovering from injury.
"Ronan O'Gara will lead the team against the Emerging Springboks which is a well deserved honour for a senior player who has served Munster, Ireland and the British & Irish Lions with distinction."
Strong
Bulls full-back Zane Kirchner has been passed fit for the Emerging Springboks and will line up alongside starting wingers Luzuko Vulindlu and Bjorn Basson.
Earl Rose has been named at fly-half outside team-mate Jano Vermaak with flanker Dewald Potgieter captaining in a strong-looking back-row.
"We are blessed with the amount of depth we have in South African rugby and the group of players assembled here proves that," said coach Dick Muir.
"We are wary of the fact that the British and Irish Lions will be looking to bounce back after their defeat in the first Test, but I'm confident that we'll be competitive against them on Tuesday."
Emerging Springboks: 15 Zane Kirchner (Blue Bulls), 14 Luzuko Vulindlu (The Sharks), 13 Deon van Rensburg (Leopards), 12 Morgan Newman (Western Province), 11 Bjorn Basson (Griquas), 10 Earl Rose (Golden Lions), 9 Jano Vermaak (Golden Lions), 8 Duane Vermeulen (Western Province), 7 Jean Deysel (Sharks), 6 Dewald Potgieter (c) (Blue Bulls), 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp (Blue Bulls), 4 Steven Sykes (Sharks), 3 Werner Kruger (Blue Bulls), 2 Bandise Maku (Blue Bulls), 1 Wian du Preez (Free State Cheetahs).
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg (Western Province), 17 Pat Cilliers (Sharks), 18 Franco van der Merwe (Golden Lions), 19 Jacques Botes (Sharks), 20 Heini Adams (Blue Bulls), 21 Willem de Waal (Western Province), 22 Danwel Demas (Free State Cheetahs).
British and Irish Lions: 15 Keith Earls (Munster/Ireland), 14 Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales), 13 Riki Flutey (London Wasps/England), 12 Gordon D'Arcy (Leinster/Ireland), 11 Luke Fitzgerald (Leinster/Ireland), 10 Ronan O'Gara (Munster/Ireland), 9 Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers/England), 8 Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 7 Martyn Williams (Cardiff Blues/Wales), 6 Joe Worsley (London Wasps/England), 5 Nathan Hines (Perpignan/Scotland), 4 Donncha O'Callaghan (Munster/Ireland), 3 John Hayes (Munster/Ireland), 2 Ross Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland), 1 Tim Payne (London Wasps/England).
Replacements: 16 Lee Mears (Bath/England), 17 Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England), 18 Simon Shaw (London Wasps/England), 19 David Wallace (Munster/Ireland), 20 Mike Blair (Edinburgh/Scotland), 21 James Hook (Ospreys/Wales), 22 Ugo Monye (Harlequins/England).