Lions XV: Who Warren Gatland should pick to start against New Zealand

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Chris Jones19 April 2017

Chris Jones has selected his starting XV to face New Zealand following Wednesday's Lions squad announcement.

Warren Gatland has picked his 41-man squad to face the All Blacks in three Tests from June and the 53-year-old has chosen Wales captain Sam Warburton to lead the side.

Gatland said: "Sam is a great player, an outstanding leader and a winning Lions captain.

"We believe that Sam's experience and leadership qualities make him an obvious choice as captain."

And rugby writer Jones has selected his XV to start the first Test against the All Blacks on June 24.

He said: "This team is built to stick with the pace the All Blacks will try to use to stretch the Lions defence to the limit

"The back five of the scrum is very mobile while the backs will hit hard and possess real speed of their own."

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