Powerful Lions side named to face Australia in first Test
Tom Curry starts in back row, no Welsh player in 23
Andy Farrell has urged his British & Irish Lions players to embrace the pressure of their billing as heavy favourites to beat Australia in the series opener. The Lions will go into Saturday's first Test as odds-on favourites after the head coach named a powerful side featuring Tom Curry at openside flanker and Sione Tuipulotu at inside-centre to face a Wallabies team missing Will Skelton, Rob Valetini and Taniela Tupou.
The Lions have not won a series since the last time they faced Australia in 2013 – their only victory since 1997 – but in a demonstration of their confidence, a number of players, including Ben Earl and Henry Pollock, have targeted a 3-0 win this summer. Pollock has even talked about being "the best Lions team ever", a claim that has gone down badly among a host of former Wallabies including Chris Latham.
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