02 June, 2017
George North is confident his familiarity with Warren Gatland and numerous members of the British and Irish Lions squad will help him overcome reduced preparation time for the tour of New Zealand.
The team is captained by tour skipper Sam Warburton, who is joined in the forwards by fellow Welshmen Alun Wyn-Jones, Ross Moriarty and Taulupe Faletau.
Five Irish men make the squad of 23 with Rory Best, Iain Henderson, Johnny Sexton all starting.
Because the rugby league seasons now run in tandem in both hemispheres, the traditional tours when the Lions and the Kangaroos each played anything between 30 and 40 matches will never be replicated, but Wood wants to see much more than a three-match Test series amid speculation that Queensland and New South Wales could provide some of the opposition.
"We are lucky to have some real leaders in the squad and to be able to select them for this match in the likes of Rory Best, Alun Wyn Jones and Greig Laidlaw".
"I think some people look at it as a bad thing, having all these games to warm up with, but I think it's a good thing", added the 25-year-old, who already boasts 72 Test caps. It is also great to have Sam starting in the first game of the tour, something he didn't do in 2013 and I'm looking forward to seeing what we can do this weekend".
"The balance of the squad is really good, we have selected the majority of players who were together for the training weeks in Wales and Ireland and they have worked together and prepared well for a number of weeks".
In the back positions, Greig Laidlaw partners Johnny Sexton in the scrum-half/out-half positions, Laidlaw's Scottish compatriot Tommy Seymour is on the wing (with Anthony Watson on the other flank), it's an all-English centre partnership with Ben Te'o and Jonathan Joseph, with Stuart Hogg operating in the full-back position.
"There's no plan for the haka; we'll just face up to it", said Gatland, with the Lions to face it for the first time this tour against the Blues on Wednesday.
"And I'm pleased my players will face it a couple of times".
"We have named a side that showcases a strong combination of experience and youth and we are really looking forward to Saturday".
Payne and Furlong make the bench - here's the team.
