Warriors new recruits Duhan van der Merwe and Rory Sutherland have been named in the British and Irish Lions matchday squad for Wednesday’s match against Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg (kick-off 6.00pm BST).
The Scotland international pair officially became Warriors players on July 1 having been signed from Edinburgh Rugby.
Wing van der Merwe and prop Sutherland both made their Lions debuts in the win over Japan at Murrayfield nine days ago in a warm-up match before the start of the South Africa tour.
Van der Merwe, who scored a try against Japan, will start against the Sharks with loosehead prop Sutherland named among the replacements.
Having had two players – Ollie Lawrence and Ted Hill – in an England matchday squad for the first time against USA at Twickenham on Sunday this will be the first time Warriors have had two in a Lions matchday squad.
Three players – Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England), Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby, Wales) and Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales) – will make their Lions debuts on Wednesday with Ireland lock Iain Henderson captaining the team for the first time.
Tour Captain, Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland), is named amongst the replacements.
“It’s a quick turnaround from Saturday, but we’ll be ready to go by Wednesday night,” said Lions Head Coach Warren Gatland.
“I’m pleased we managed to come through the weekend’s game unscathed, and the boys have rested and recovered well. We feel like we’re slowly building, but, as ever, there’s still room for improvement in all facets of our game.
“Wednesday night is another chance for us to have a look at a few more combinations. I’m looking forward to seeing how the back row goes; it’s an exciting mixture and one that we hope will offer something a bit different.
“We expect another physical test against a side who are known for their power play and ambition.
“My congratulations to Tom, Josh and Adam ahead of their first starts in a Lions jersey.”
British and Irish Lions
15 Liam Williams (Scarlets, Wales) #833
14 Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England) #816
13 Elliot Daly (Saracens, England) #822
12 Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby, Ireland) #837
11 Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #841
10 Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales) #821
9 Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales) #850
1 Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England) #787
2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England) #851
3 Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) #848
4 Iain Henderson – Captain (Ulster Rugby, Ireland) #808
5 Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales)
6 Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby, Wales)
7 Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England)
8 Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England) #849
Replacements
16 Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales) #829
17 Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #840
18 Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #818
19 Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #838
20 Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #839
21 Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #790
22 Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland) #783
23 Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) #844