Warburton to lead Lions in squad of few surprises
Warren Gatland says Waratahs performance helped seal his team for first test against Australia
Flanker Sam Warburton will captain a British & Irish Lions team containing eight Welshmen but few surprises in the first test against Australia at Lang Park tomorrow.
After six warm-up matches and months of conjecture, coach Warren Gatland had some tough decisions to make but said that last week's 47-17 win over New South Wales Waratahs in Sydney had helped him settle on his 23.
"There was a bit of discussion about the make-up of the back row, the front row and the middle particularly," Gatland said after naming his team. "But the players have been rewarded for that positive performance against the Waratahs."
Gatland has added eight players to his initial squad at various times, mainly to cover injury, but only England prop Alex Corbisiero has emerged to make the test squad.
George North, who had been struggling with a hamstring strain, passed a fitness test and will line up on one wing with his Wales teammate Alex Cuthbert on the other.
Despite the rash of injuries to the backline, only Irish winger Tommy Bowe, Welsh centre Jamie Roberts and England midfield back Manu Tuilagi were unavailable for selection.