Lions Tour 2021: Most Scots in a Lions Test team for 24 yearsStuart Hogg, Duhan van der Merwe and Ali Price have all been picked to face South Africa in Cape Town on Saturday.
It will be the first time since the 1997 tour to South Africa that three Scots will start a Test for the Lions.On that tour, current Lions assistant coach Gregor Townsend was named alongside Alan Tait and Tom Smith for the first and second Tests.Then, as now, the hosts were the world champions and a huge task awaits Warren Gatland’s side.
Watch Now >> Lions vs South Africa LiveHogg, van der Merwe and Price are joined in the squad by their Scotland team-mates Rory Sutherland and Hamish Watson who are both among the replacements.
Gatland, the Lions head coach, said it was the hardest Test side he has ever had to pick.Alun Wyn Jones will captain the side having recovered from a dislocated shoulder sustained in the Lions’ 28-10 win over Japan at Murrayfield just 24 days ago.
In doing so, the Welsh lock will win his tenth-successive Test cap for the Lions in Cape Town, moving him into an illustrious list of Lions legends to have made 10 Test appearances or more, including Gareth Edwards (10), Graham Price (12), Mike Gibson (12) Dickie Jeeps (13) and Willie-John McBride (17).Jones is the first to play 10 Tests for the side in the professional era.
The Welshman will be joined in the second row by England’s Maro Itoje who claims his fourth successive Lions Test cap.