O’Connell partners Wales’ Alun Wyn Jones against the Sharks

LIONS captain Paul O’Connell will play with his third different second-row partner of the British & Irish Lions tour when Ian McGeechan’s side face the Sharks in Durban tomorrow evening (6.10pm).
Twenty-nine-year-old lock O’Connell will pack down in the engine room alongside Welsh international Alun Wyn Jones while Munster out-half Ronan O’Gara and flanker David Wallace will be hoping to impress against the Sharks in order to boost their chances of gaining inclusion in the Test side for Saturday week’s clash with the Springboks.


Skipper O’Connell is one of four survivors from the Lions side which secured a nail-biting 26-24 victory over the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday.
The other players to gain back-to-back starts are Irish star Luke Fitzgerald and the Welsh duo of Lee Byrne and Shane Williams.
Lions coach Ian McGeechan said: “I am delighted that as we head into the fourth match we only have one player who is unavailable for selection.
“The players and the medical staff have managed the injuries that have been sustained in a very professional manner. This is crucial as we enter matches against two of South Africa’s strongest provinces in the Sharks and Western Province in the space of four days. This is reflected by the fact that four starting players from the Cheetahs match will back up against the Sharks while five players are starting their third match of the tour. We also have new starting partnerships in the back three, the half-backs and in the front-row.”
The British & Irish Lions clash with the Sharks tomorrow evening will be televised live on Sky Sports 2.
Meanwhile two Limerick-born players have been included in the Ireland A side to face Canada in their opening match in the Churchill Cup in Colorado tomorrow night.
Sean Cronin, a replacement the full Irish side in their recent games with Canada and the USA, is named at hooker. Cronin’s Connacht team-mate Keith Matthews has been selected in the centre for the clash with Canada.
Shannon and Munster prop Tony Buckley will line out at tighthead prop while Donnacha Ryan has been selected to play in the second row for the game at Infinity Park, Glendale. The match begins at 11.30pm Irish time and will be televised live on Sky Sports 1.

British & Irish Lions v Sharks: Lee Byrne (Wales); Shane Williams (Wales), Brian O’Driscoll (Ireland), Jamie Roberts (Wales), Luke Fitzgerald (Ireland); Ronan O’Gara (Ireland), Mike Phillips (Wales); Gethin Jenkins (Wales), Lee Mears (England), Adam Jones (Wales); Alun-Wyn Jones (Wales), Paul O’Connell (Capt) (Ireland); Tom Croft (England), David Wallace (Ireland), Jamie Heaslip (Ireland). Replacements: Matthew Rees (Wales), Phil Vickery (England), Simon Shaw (England), Joe Worsley (England), Mike Blair (Scotland), Riki Flutey (England), Leigh Halfpenny (Wales).

Ireland A v Canada: Denis Hurley (Munster), Fionn Carr (Connacht), Fergus McFadden (Leinster), Keith Matthews (Connacht), Johne Murphy (Leicester Tigers); Niall O’Connor (Ulster), Isaac Boss (Ulster) (capt); Bryan Young (Ulster), Sean Cronin (Connacht), Tony Buckley (Munster); Donnacha Ryan (Munster), Devin Toner (Leinster), Neil Best (Northampton Saints), Sean O’Brien (Leinster), Chris Henry (Ulster) Replacements: Denis Fogarty (Munster), Cian Healy (Leinster), Trevor Hogan (Leinster), John Muldoon (Connacht), Frank Murphy (Connacht), Jonathan Sexton (Leinster), James Downey (Northampton Saints).

Colm Kinsella