Eight Players Set To Make Their B&I Lions Debut In Tour Opener
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British and Irish Lions coach Warren Gatland has included eight potential Lions debutants in the Tour opener against the Lions.
The side captained by Stuart Hogg has four players set to make their debut in the starting line up with Wales star speedster Louis Rees-Zammit starting on the right wing with Scotland centre Chris Harris at outside centre.
The other two debutants start in the pack with Jonny Hill making his debut alongside his fellow England teammate Maro Itoje.
Having missed the Japan game due to injury, Hamish Watson has once again been named in the starting XV for his debut.
On the bench, Hill's Exeter teammate Luke Cowan-Dickie is set to make his first appearance for the tourists as too is fellow clubmate, Sam Simmonds.
Prop Zander Fagerson also makes his debut off the bench after being ruled out of the Japan game through injury while scrumhalf Gareth Davies has been included on the bench for his debut too.
Quick facts on the debutants:
- Louis Rees-Zammit made the most clean breaks of any player during the 2021 Six Nations (9)
- Chris Harris made 29 positive contributions at rucks in the 2020 Autumn Nations Cup
- Sam Simmonds posted 20 tries this season for Exeter Chiefs in the Premiership, 10 more than any other player
- Jonny Hill claimed 58 lineouts in the Champions Cup since the beginning of last season
- Luke Cowan-Dickie found a teammate with each of his 32 lineout throws in this year's Six Nations
- Hamish Watson made 60/60 tackles in the 2021 Six Nations, the most of anyone not to miss a single hit
- Gareth Davies gained the most metres (293) and beat the most defenders (13) of any scrum-half at the 2019 World Cup
- Zander Fagerson was involved in either a carry, tackle or ruck 58 times per 80 minutes in the 2021 Six Nations
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