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27th Jun 2013

Bowe starts, SOB and Murray on the bench as Gatland rings the changes

Tommy Bowe has gone straight into the Lions team to face Australia on Saturday after recovering from a hand injury, while in further good news for Irish fans, Sean O’Brien and Conor Murray are on the bench.

Conor Heneghan

Tommy Bowe has gone straight into the Lions team to face Australia on Saturday after recovering from a hand injury, while in further good news for Irish fans, Sean O’Brien and Conor Murray are on the bench.

Lions coach Warren Gatland has made five changes to the side that enjoyed an incredibly narrow victory over the Wallabies last Saturday morning, with Bowe, Ben Youngs, Mako Vunipola, Geoff Parling and Dan Lydiate coming into the starting XV, with Alex Cuthbert, Mike Phillips, Alex Corbisiero, Paul O’Connell and Tom Croft making way.

Three of the changes are enforced after O’Connell, Corbisiero and Phillips all picked up injuries in Brisbane last Saturday, while Cuthbert and Croft have to settle for a place on the bench as Gatland opts to freshen things up in the back three and the back row.

They will be joined on the bench by Ireland duo Conor Murray and Sean O’Brien, both of whom impressed in Melbourne on Tuesday while Ryan Grant replaces Sean Maitland as the only  Scottish representative in the squad this weekend.

Robbie Deans, meanwhile, has persisted with James O’Connor at out-half despite an indifferent display last weekend and has only made two enforced changes to the starting XV, with Kurtley (slippery as a) Beale coming in at full-back and Joe Tomane on the wing in place of the injured Berrick Barnes and Digby Ioane.

Lions team to play Australia: Halfpenny; Bowe, O’Driscoll, Davies, North; Sexton, B Youngs; Vunipola, T Youngs, A Jones, AW Jones, Parling, Lydiate, Warburton (captain), Heaslip.

Replacements: Hibbard, Grant, Cole, Croft, O’Brien; Murray, Farrell, Cuthbert.

Australia team: Kurtley Beale; Israel Folau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Christian Lealiifano, Joe Tomane; James O’Connor, Will Genia; Benn Robinson, Stephen Moore, Ben Alexander; Kane Douglas, James Horwill (captain); Ben Mowen, Michael Hooper, Wycliff Palu.

Replacements: Saia Fainga’a, James Slipper, Sekope Kepu, Rob Simmons, Liam Gill, Nick Phipps, Rob Horne, Jesse Mogg

‘Lions coverage on JOE brought to you in association with Kellogg’s, official cereal & snack provider to the IRFU.’

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