The Wales star has one final chance to impress before the first Test
Jac Morgan will get one final chance to force his way into the British & Irish Lions Test team after getting selected to start against the AUNZ Invitational XV on Saturday.
The Wales star has been the outstanding openside so far on tour but didn’t figure in the victory over the Brumbies yesterday in a side which most pundits believe Andy Farrell will select for the first Test in Brisbane next Saturday.
Morgan faces stiff competition from the likes of Tom Curry, Josh van der Flier and Henry Pollock but has a golden opportunity in Adelaide to put down one final marker.
The 25-year-old is joined in the back-row by Pollock who is on the blindside and England star Ben Earl.
It’s an all-Irish second-row duo of Tadhg Beirne and James Ryan while Pierre Schoeman, Luke Cowan-Dickie and Will Stuart make up the front-row. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.
Behind the scrum Ben White and Fin Smith are the half-backs with Sione Tuipulotu and Huw Jones lining up in midfield.
Hugo Keenan, Mack Hansen and Duhan van der Merwe form a potent back-three while Owen Farrell has been named on the bench and will make his first appearance of the tour.
“We are in a great position just over a week out from the first Test,” said Andy Farrell. Join WalesOnline Rugby’s WhatsApp Channel here to get the breaking news sent straight to your phone for free
“The players now have another chance to put in a strong team performance and put a hand up for selection for the Test matches against the Wallabies.
“Les Kiss has assembled a strong squad with lots of international experience and we know that he will have them well organised and they will bring a lot of physicality to the contest.” Get the latest breaking Welsh rugby news stories sent straight to your inbox with our FREE daily newsletter. Sign up here.
On his son Owen’s inclusion, Farrell Senior added: “He is the same as everyone else who has had to get up to speed pretty quickly.
“Everyone had to at the start and a few have come in late. The art of this stage of the tour is mentally being as switched on as you possibly can for everyone because of the nature of the preparation. There is not much training you can do.
“He is lucky enough to play when he was very young and you need the stars to align to play in so many tours.”
British & Irish Lions: Hugo Keenan; Mack Hansen, Huw Jones, Sione Tuipulotu, Duhan van der Merwe; Fin Smith, Ben White; Pierre Schoeman, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Will Stuart, James Ryan, Tadhg Beirne, Henry Pollock, Jac Morgan, Ben Earl.
Replacements: Ronan Kelleher, Andrew Porter, Finlay Bealham, Scott Cummings, Josh van der Flier, Alex Mitchell, Marcus Smith, Owen Farrell.
