Wales Pair Josh Navidi And Adam Beard Dip Their Toes In Lions’ Waters Against The Sharks

Late call-ups Josh Navidi and Adam Beard will make their Lions debuts on Wednesday when the tourists face the Sharks in Johannesburg. The Wales pair – who replaced Justin Tipuric and captain Alun Wyn Jones after injuries in the match against Japan – will make their bows for the British and Irish Lions in their second game on South African soil. Flanker Navidi of the Cardiff Blues and Ospreys lock Beard will join Tom Curry, of Sale Sharks and England, in wearing the Lions shirt for the first time at Ellis Park, now called Emirates Airline Park (kick off 6pm BST).

By Paul Jones

Late call-ups Josh Navidi and Adam Beard will make their Lions debuts on Wednesday when the tourists face the Sharks in Johannesburg.

The Wales pair – who replaced Justin Tipuric and captain Alun Wyn Jones after injuries in the match against Japan – will make their bows for the British and Irish Lions in their second game on South African soil.

Flanker Navidi of the Cardiff Blues and Ospreys lock Beard will join Tom Curry, of Sale Sharks and England, in wearing the Lions shirt for the first time at Ellis Park, now called Emirates Airline Park (kick off 6pm BST).

Ulster and Ireland forward Iain Henderson will captain the Lions for the first time, while tour captain Conor Murray is named amongst the replacements.

Five Welsh players will start, including half-back pairing Dan Biggar and Gareth Davies, plus full-back Liam Williams.

The game, which will be shown live on Sky Sports, is the second of eight tour matches in the 2021 Castle Lager Lions Series which culminates with three Tests against the world champions, the Springboks.

TEAM NEWS 🦁

Here is our #LionsRugby team to face the @TheSharksZA on Wednesday 💪

Read more below 👇#CastleLionsSeries #LionsSA2021

— British & Irish Lions (@lionsofficial) July 5, 2021

“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.

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“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.”

CELL C SHARKS v THE BRITISH & IRISH LIONS

Wednesday 7 July 2021

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

Kick-off: 6pm (BST)

Liam Williams (Scarlets, Wales) #833
Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England) #816
Elliot Daly (Saracens, England) #822
Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby, Ireland) #837
Duhan van der Merwe (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #841
Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales) #821
Gareth Davies (Scarlets, Wales) #850
Mako Vunipola (Saracens, England) #787
Luke Cowan-Dickie (Exeter Chiefs, England) #851
Zander Fagerson (Glasgow Warriors, Scotland) #848
Iain Henderson – Captain (Ulster Rugby, Ireland) #808
Adam Beard (Ospreys, Wales)
Josh Navidi (Cardiff Rugby, Wales)
Tom Curry (Sale Sharks, England)
Sam Simmonds (Exeter Chiefs, England) #849

Replacements:

Ken Owens (Scarlets, Wales) #829
Rory Sutherland (Worcester Warriors, Scotland) #840
Tadhg Furlong (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #818
Tadhg Beirne (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #838
Jack Conan (Leinster Rugby, Ireland) #839
Conor Murray (Munster Rugby, Ireland) #790
Stuart Hogg (Exeter Chiefs, Scotland) #783
Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) #844

Full 2021 Tour schedule:

Saturday 3 July: Emirates Lions v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
Wednesday 7 July: Cell C Sharks v The British & Irish Lions (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg) KO 19h00 (SAT) / 18h00 (BST)
Saturday 10 July: Vodacom Bulls v The British & Irish Lions (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
Wednesday 14 July: South Africa ‘A’ v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 20h00 (SAT) / 19h00 (BST)
Saturday 17 July: DHL Stormers v The British & Irish Lions (Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
Saturday 24 July: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (1^st Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
Saturday 31 July: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (2^nd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST)
Saturday 7 Aug: Springboks v The British & Irish Lions (3^rd Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg) KO 18h00 (SAT) / 17h00 (BST