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Sheehan captains Lions against Force in Australia

Sheehan captains Lions against Force in Australia

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Hooker Sheehan has scored 15 tries in 32 appearances for Ireland [Getty Images]
Western Force v British and Irish Lions
Venue: Optus Stadium, Perth Date: Saturday, 28 June Kick-off: 11.00 BST
Coverage: Live text commentary on the BBC Sport website and app
Ireland's Dan Sheehan will captain the British and Irish Lions in their opening game on Australian soil against the Western Force on Saturday.
Sheehan is one of five players in the starting line-up who will make their Lions debut in Perth, his Leinster team-mates Garry Ringrose, James Lowe, Joe McCarthy and Josh van der Flier being the others.
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Four more Lions are set to make their debut off the bench - Ollie Chessum, Huw Jones, Andrew Porter and Will Stuart.
Northampton tyro Henry Pollock will make his first start having come off the bench against Argentina last Friday night.
Head coach Andy Farrell is still without Jamison Gibson-Park and Hugo Keenan, both inching their way back from injury, so Elliot Daly is in at full-back and Tomos Williams is rewarded for a fine cameo against the Pumas in Dublin with a start in the nine jersey.
Finn Russell also makes his starting Lions debut having only appeared as a replacement in his one appearance against South Africa four years ago.
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Farrell goes with a new midfield combination in Ringrose and Scotland's Sione Tuipulotu, who will make successive starts.
Tuipulotu and Tadhg Beirne are the only two players selected to start against Argentina and the Force, albeit both have moved position, the Scot from inside to outside centre and the Irishman from lock to blindside flanker.
British and Irish Lions: Daly, Hansen, Ringrose, Tuipulotu, Lowe, Russell, Williams; Schoeman, Sheehan, Furlong, Cummings, McCarthy, Beirne, Van der Flier, Pollock
Replacements: Kelleher, Porter, Stuart, Chessum, Conan, Mitchell, Jones, M Smith

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