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Home / Rotorua Daily Post

LIONS WATCH: Lions vs New Zealand Maori: what time is the match and what's the latest news?

NZ Herald
17 Jun, 2017 12:43 AM5 mins to read

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Lions captain Sam Warburton leads his team out to the pitch, during the fourth tour match between The British and Irish Lions and the Highlanders. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

Lions captain Sam Warburton leads his team out to the pitch, during the fourth tour match between The British and Irish Lions and the Highlanders. Photo / Brett Phibbs.

Lions vs New Zealand Maori: what time is the match, how do I follow it and what's the latest news?

What is it?
The Lions play their penultimate warm up match before the first Test of the series against the All Blacks

Warren Gatland's men play the New Zealand Maori in what many are calling the fourth Test of the series.

When is it?
Tonight at Rotorua Stadium with a kick-off of around 7.35pm.

How do I follow it?
The match will be broadcast live on Sky but why pay? Follow it live and free via Nigel Yalden, the voice of New Zealand Rugby who will call the game on Radio Sport. Then there is also the New Zealand Herald's popular game live blog which will fire up on nzherald.co.nz from 7pm.

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What's the latest team news?
The Lions have been rocked by the news that Owen Farrell faces 10 days out with a quadriceps strain.

The England centre will miss the Maori clash and is a doubt for the first Lions Test against the All Blacks next Saturday at Eden Park.

Farrell was originally named on the bench for the match but has since been replaced by Wales first five Dan Biggar.

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Jonathan Sexton will start at No. 10 while his fellow Ireland teammate Peter O'Mahony will captain the team.

Tour captain Sam Warburton has been named on the bench while Maro Itoje partners England teammate George Kruis at lock.

Wales full back Leigh Halfpenny plays for the first time since starting in the Lions' opening game of the tour against the New Zealand Barbarians, with George North and Anthony Watson completing a potent-looking back three.

Elsewhere Jonathan Davies is partnered with New Zealand-born Ben Te'o in the centres in a heavyweight midfield.

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The Maori side boast nine All Blacks in the 23-man match-day squad, and head coach Colin Cooper has described the group as 'the strongest I have ever had'.

They field some of the most exciting runners in New Zealand rugby, from wings, Nehe Milner-Skudder and Rieko Ioane, who caused the Lions so much trouble in the match against the Blues, to first five Damian McKenzie.

What are they saying?

Lions head coach Warren Gatland has called the game one of the "unique spectacles in world rugby".

Gatland also bristled at questions over Sam Warburton's place in the Lions Test team.

"Sam's well aware of the competition that is there at the moment," said Gatland.

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"He fully understands that that loose forward trio (O'Mahony, O'Brien and Taulupe Faletau) went outstandingly well against the Crusaders.

"The challenge for them is to repeat it. And if they do it again, we'll make what we think is the right selection for the Test match.

"One of the reasons we selected him as captain of the squad is that he is an absolute quality player. But this tour isn't about Sam Warburton, it's about putting the squad first.

"If he's not involved in the first Test because of the performance on Saturday night he will fully understand that.

"But he'll get some game time and some opportunity to keep improving his match fitness because he hasn't had a lot of rugby in recent weeks.

"This is important for him. He got a run-out against the Highlanders, I thought he was good for a long period of the game.

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How have the Lions fared so far?

Safe to say it's been a bit of a mixed bag for the Lions so far.

Having lost one and won one going into Tuesday's match with the Highlanders, Gatland would have been hoping to start picking up some momentum going into the week of the first Test.

As it was the Lions were narrowly beaten in Dunedin to leave the tourists one and two going into tonight's 'fourth Test' against the Maori.

What are the line-ups?
Maori: 1 Kane Hames, Tasman (Ngāi Tuhoe/Ngāti Porou), 2 Ash Dixon (captain) - Hawke's Bay (Ngāti Tahinga), 3 Ben May - Hawke's Bay (Ngāti Maniapoto/Tainui), 4 Joe Wheeler - Tasman (Ngāi Tahu), 5 Tom Franklin - Bay of Plenty (Ngāti Maniapoto), 6 Akira Ioane - Auckland (Ngāpuhi/Te Whānau ā Apanui), 7 Elliot Dixon - Southland (Ngāpuhi), 8 Liam Messam - Waikato (Ngāi Tūhoe), 9 Tawera Kerr-Barlow - Waikato (Waikato/Ngāti Maniapoto), 10 Damian McKenzie - Waikato (Ngāti Tūwharetoa/Ngāti Tahinga), 11 Rieko Ioane - Auckland (Ngāpuhi/Te Whānau ā Apanui), 12 Charlie Ngatai - Taranaki (Ngāti Porou/Te Whānau ā Apanui/Te Whakatōhea), 13 Matt Proctor - Wellington (Ngāpuhi/Ngāiterangi), 14 Nehe Milner-Skudder - Manawatu (Ngāti Porou/Tapuika), 15 James Lowe - Tasman (Ngāpuhi/Ngāi Te Rangi).
Reserves: 16 Hikawera Elliot - Counties Manukau (Ngāti Awa), 17 Chris Eves - Manawatu (Waikato/Tainui), 18 Marcel Renata - Auckland (Ngāti Whānaunga/Te Aupouri), 19 Leighton Price - Taranaki (Waikato/Ngāti Maniapoto), 20 Kara Pryor - Northland (Ngāti Awa/Ngāti Pikiao/Ngāti Rangitihi), 21 Bryn Hall* - North Harbour (Ngāti Ranginui), 22 Ihaia West - Hawke's Bay (Ngāti Kahungunu/Ngāti Porou), 23 Rob Thompson* - Canterbury (Ngāti Kahungunu).

Hawke's Bay's Ash Dixon will captain the side which features just two new caps in reserves, Bryn Hall and Rob Thompson.

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Lions: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 George North, 13 Jonathan Davies, 12 Ben Te'o, 11 Anthony Watson; 10 Johnny Sexton, 9 Conor Murray, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Jamie George, 3 Tadhg Furlong; 4 Maro Itoje, 5 George Kruis; 6 Peter O'Mahony (c), 7 Sean O'Brien, 8 Taulupe Faletau.
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens, 17 Jack McGrath, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Sam Warburton, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Dan Biggar, 22 Elliot Daly.
What's our prediction?

The Lions will already have been spooked by the imperious form shown by the All Blacks against Samoa last night. They face a formidable formation of talent in the Maori but Warren Gatland has picked arguably his strongest XV to meet the challenge. But we say the Maori will win by less than a converted try.

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