How to watch Lions vs Waratahs
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It is two out of two for the British and Irish Lions on Australian soil after big wins against Western Force and Queensland Reds in the opening two warm up games.
Next up are New South Wales Waratahs at the Allianz Stadium in Sydney on Saturday 5 July at 11am (8pm local time) and fans in Ireland can watch the game on Sky Sports.
The broadcaster has secured the rights to all Lions games for the tour and if you do not have a Sky Sports subscription you can buy a one-day NowTV pass to access the game here.
The game against Waratahs will be the third Lions game of the summer. Defeat to Argentina in Dublin has been followed by dominant victories over Western Force and Reds. Last time out Andy Farrell’s men ran out 52-12 winners with a much-changed side that included new captain Maro Itoje and a handful of Irish stars.
There will be 14 changes again for the trip to Sydney and a new captain as Irish international Tadhg Beirne will lead the team. Farrell faced several questions about calling up his son Owen to replace injured Elliot Daly but he did take some time to speak about Beirne’s role.
He said: “I know there’s the sad news about Elliot and the news about Owen coming is the big one, but the squad that’s been picked (to play the Waratahs) is an exciting one. At the top of that is Tadhg as captain. He’s honoured and delighted. It took him aback when I told him and that’s exactly the type of reaction you want.”
Fellow Irish internationals Finlay Bealham, Josh Van Der Flier, Mack Hansen, Hugo Keenan and James Ryan line up alongside Beirne in a much-changed Lions side.
The Lions team will be:
British and Irish Lions: Keenan, Hansen, Jones, Tuipulotu, Kinghorn, Smith, Mitchell; Schoeman, Cowan-Dickie, Bealham, Beirne, Ryan, Pollock, Van der Flier, Earl
Replacements: Sheehan, Genge, Furlong, McCarthy, Cummings. Morgan, White, M Smith
The Lions will face ACT Brumbies on 9 July followed by an invitational Australia and New Zealand side on 12 July. The first test against the Wallabies will be on Saturday 19 July at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane.
