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Published 13:08 4 Jul 2021 BST
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Alphonsi's front row is one that many other Lions fans out there will be siding with, at present. Wales' Wyn Jones and Ken Owens packing down with Ireland's own Tadhg Furlong.
With Alun Wyn Jones out injured, Iain Henderson is named in the Alphonsi XV, alongside Hamish Watson. In the back row, there are two more Irish players - Jack Conan and Tadhg Beirne - with Hamish Watson at openside.
On selecting Conan ahead of Toby Faletau and Sam Simmonds, Alphonsi referenced his excellent outing in the 28-10 win over Japan, when the Leinster forward tackled with menacing intent, carried well and secured three turnovers for the Lions.
The breakdown of nationalities in Alphonsi's squad is six Irish, five Welsh and two apiece from England and Scotland.
15. Stuart Hogg (Scotland) 14. Liam Williams (Wales) 13. Robbie Henshaw (Ireland) 12. Owen Farrell (England) 11. Josh Adams (Wales) 10. Dan Biggar (Wales) 9. Conor Murray (Ireland) 1. Wyn Jones (Wales) 2. Ken Owens (Wales) 3. Tadhg Furlong (Ireland) 4. Maro Itoje (England) 5. Iain Henderson (Ireland) 6. Tadhg Beirne (Ireland) 7. Hamish Watson (Scotland) 8. Jack Conan (Ireland)As for Lions head coach Warren Gatland, who will ultimately make the Test XV call, there is 'definitely no thinking about the Test team at the moment'. "We want everyone to have a run out in the first three games," he commented, "and then we might start mixing and matching a little bit; a few combinations. "I don’t want us to start looking ahead of that because we know the competition in the squad and how tough it is in all positions. Back-three, midfield, loose forwards, hookers, we’ve a lot of players putting their hands up." Next up for the Lions is a Wednesday clash with the Cell C Sharks, which kicks off at 5pm.
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