Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

British and Irish Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians - as it happened: Tourists clinch nervy victory

Re-live all the action from Toll Stadium

Jack de Menezes
Toll Stadium
Saturday 03 June 2017 03:10 BST
Comments
The Lions take on NZ Provincial Barbarians
The Lions take on NZ Provincial Barbarians (Getty)

The British and Irish Lions begin their 2017 tour of New Zealand in Whangarei against the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in the first of their 10 scheduled matches. Follow the latest here.

  • British and Irish Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians kicks off at 19:35 [08:35 BST]
  • Sam Warburton captains the Lions
  • Nine players to make Lions debut with another five replacements set for first appearances
  • Jonathan Sexton starts at 10 with Greig Laidlaw at scrum-half

Follow the latest here...

Please allow a moment for the blog to load...

What time does it start?

The Lions vs New Zealand Provincial Barbarians kicks off at 19:35 local time [08:35 BST] at Toll Stadium in Whangarai.

What TV channel is it on?

The match will be shown live on Sky Sports 1 from 08:00 BST.

Teams...

New Zealand Provincial Barbarians:

Luteru Laulala; Sam Vaka, Inga Finau, Dwanye Sweeney, Sevu Reece; Bryn Gatland, Jack Stratton; Aidan Ross, Sam Anderson-Heater, Oliver Jager; Josh Goodhue, Keepa Mewett; James Tucker, Lachlan Boshier, Mitchell Dunshea.

Replacements: Andrew Makalio, Tolu Fahamokioa, Marcel Renata, Matt Matich, Peter Rowe, Richard Judd, Jonah Lowe, Joe Webber.

British and Irish Lions:

Stuart Hogg; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Ben Te’o, Tommy Seymour; Jonathan Sexton, Greig Laidlaw; Joe Marler, Rory Best, Kyle Sinckler; Alun Wyn Jones, Iain Henderson; Ross Moriarty, Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacement: Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Tadhg Furlong, George Kruis, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly.

And the winner of the coin toss is... 

The NZ BaaBaas will kick-off! 

Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 07:48
Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 07:50
Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 07:55

There's one name among the Provincial Barbarians tonight that stands out more than the rest, and it comes next to the No 10 as Bryn Gatland, son of Lions coach Warren, gets his chance to shine on the biggest stage. Here's a bit more about the 22-year-old who will hope to emulate his father this evening...

Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:00
Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:05
Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:10
Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:15

With just 15 minutes to go until kick-off, here's a reminder of the teams:

New Zealand Provincial Barbarians:

Luteru Laulala; Sam Vaka, Inga Finau, Dwanye Sweeney, Sevu Reece; Bryn Gatland, Jack Stratton; Aidan Ross, Sam Anderson-Heater, Oliver Jager; Josh Goodhue, Keepa Mewett; James Tucker, Lachlan Boshier, Mitchell Dunshea.

Replacements: Andrew Makalio, Tolu Fahamokioa, Marcel Renata, Matt Matich, Peter Rowe, Richard Judd, Jonah Lowe, Joe Webber.

British and Irish Lions:

Stuart Hogg; Anthony Watson, Jonathan Joseph, Ben Te’o, Tommy Seymour; Jonathan Sexton, Greig Laidlaw; Joe Marler, Rory Best, Kyle Sinckler; Alun Wyn Jones, Iain Henderson; Ross Moriarty, Sam Warburton, Taulupe Faletau.

Replacement: Jamie George, Mako Vunipola, Tadhg Furlong, George Kruis, Justin Tipuric, Rhys Webb, Owen Farrell, Elliot Daly.

Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:20

It's not quite 20,000, but it is a sell-out crowd of 19,900 that have packed into Toll Stadium tonight, with fans queuing up three hours before kick-off to get into the ground.

It really is quite a spectacle, with more than 11,000 fans standing up on the large bank that surrounds the four stands, and the fact that they're in a good condition after all the rain that we've had is testament to the ground staff here in Whangarei.

The pitch, by the way, is looking immaculate.

Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:20

The Lions head back into the changing rooms first, closely following by the Provincial Barbarians, and final preparations are clicking into gear out on the field.

Jack de Menezes3 June 2017 08:20

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in