It has been confirmed that Rory Best will captain the British and Irish Lions against the Chiefs on Tuesday after being named as one of the 15 changes to the side, including six call-ups.Â
Gatland had initially raised the idea of adding the additional players to the squad ahead of the Chiefs encounter back in September in order to ease the pressure on the Lions.
Best starts again alongside Joe Marler and Dan Cole, in addition to Courtney Lawes who is returning from the head injury that forced him out of last week’s defeat by the Highlanders. Iain Henderson joins Lawes in the second row, and behind Lawes James Haskell and Justin Tipuric start at blindside and openside flanker respectively, with CJ Stander returning at No 8.
Following Saturday’s 32-10 win over the Maori All Blacks, Greig Laidlaw and Dan Biggar start at half-back, having come off the bench and  Irish centre pairing Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne renew their partnership with English pair Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell on the wings.
Gatland’s call-ups this week include props Tomas Francis and Allan Dell, hooker Kristian Dacey, lock Cory Hill, scrum-half Gareth Davies and fly-half Finn Russell, four Welshmen and two Scots. Given they will only stay with the squad for a week they may witness not only their first, but last matches.
As Gatland himself said, ‘We are five games into the Tour and there is still a lot to play for’. Stay tuned for more updates.
Watch the Lions tour at the Palace Hotel Sydney
Funny Sports News Lions Tour 2017: Rory Best Captains Side With Six Call-Ups