Lions face depleted opponents as Rowntree issues challenge

Western Force, their opening opponents after touching down in Australia, have one eye on Sunday’s Super Rugby appointment with the Waratahs.

Force head coach – former Bath boss Michael Foley – has selected six Test players in his match-day group, but with such an important game looming it has presented a difficult juggling act.

“It was about whether it was reasonable to have blokes back up four days later,” said Foley.

“The way we see it is we have a Test match (today), and we may have another Test match on Sunday. Certainly, the intensity with which the Waratahs are playing, that’s what we expect.

“So asking players to do that twice is unreasonable. Ideally, you would like a week between games, just to be able to sit down and pick a team and then reassess and pick another team.

“What we have had to do is juggle our squad across two games, and look to pick a number of senior, experienced internationals against the Lions.”

With 15 players having already started for the Lions on tour, another 15 get their opportunity to impress head coach Warren Gatland, while the remaining seven are set for a chance against Queensland Reds in Brisbane on Saturday.

Lions’ forwards coach Graham Rowntree has underlined the Lions’ ambition to raise the performance bar four days after blitzing the Barbarians in hot and humid Hong Kong.

“I thought we set the bar fairly high on Saturday in difficult conditions,” said Rowntree. “A lot of our proven guys that have played a lot of games found those conditions harder than anything, harder than altitude or anything like that. In difficult conditions and our first hit-out together, the guys set a high standard, and (today’s) crew have got to move that bar up again.

“We’ve said to the guys the first three games everyone gets a start, so after the Reds game I think we have got to start making some decisions on combinations.”

Match: Today at 11am (BST).

Coverage: Sky Sports 1 from 10.30am.

Venue: Perth.

Western Force: S Christie; D Haylett-Petty, E Stubbs, C Tuatara-Morrison, C Brown; S Norton-Knight, B Sheehan; S Manu, J Hilterbrand, S Ma’afu, T Lynn, P Battye, A Cottrell, M Hodgson (capt), R Brown. Replacements: H Roach, S Kolo, T Metcher, B Matwijow, L McCaffrey, A Mathewson, N Haining, J Rasolea.

British and Irish Lions: L Halfpenny; T Bowe, B O’Driscoll (capt), M Tuilagi, G North; J Sexton, C Murray; C Healy, R Best, D Cole, A-W Jones, I Evans, T Croft, S O’Brien, J Heaslip. Replacements: T Youngs, M Vunipola, M Stevens, G Parling, T Faletau, B Youngs, O Farrell, S Maitland.

Referee: G Jackson (New Zealand).