He dismissed as coincidence that 13 of the eventual Test team played for the Lions against the Crusaders at a similar stage of the tour of New Zealand in 2017. Gatland said strict protocols had been followed and Cowan-Dickie had been cleared to play by a renowned concussion specialist. Forwards Tom Curry, Josh Navidi and Adam Beard will make their first appearances for the Lions in a completely new run-on team. Asked whether he was worried about not facing strong enough opposition, Gatland said, "We are concentrating on ourselves. The Lions will be captained by Ireland lock Iain Henderson, with tour captain Conor Murray listed as a replacement.

Source: News 24 July 05, 2021 12:45 UTC