Just a week after the British and Irish Lions touched down in Australia and ignited a row over the strength of the teams they will play in the lead-up to the Test series versus the Wallabies, they have learned that the AUNZ Invitational XV they will face in Adelaide on July 12 is set to be quite tasty.
On the same day that the Lions named their side to take on the Reds in Brisbane this Wednesday, the first wave of signings for the invitational AUNZ squad were confirmed on Monday – and it included four All Blacks with 66 caps between them. David Havili, the 30-cap midfielder, recently skippered Crusaders to Super Rugby Pacific title glory.
Shannon Frizell included
Back-rower Shannon Frizell, who had 33 All Blacks caps before his club rugby switch to Brave Lupus in Japan, has been selected just days after starting for the Barbarians in their loss to the Springboks in Cape Town.
Full-back Shaun Stevenson has just one All Black cap, but he featured for the Chiefs in their Super Rugby final loss to the Crusaders on June 21 ahead of his upcoming switch to Kubota Spears in Japan.
Meanwhile, Highlanders scrum-half Folau Fakatava will add his two-cap experience to the AUNZ Invitational XV mix as they look to cause some headaches for the Lions in a match that will take place seven days before the Test series opens against the Wallabies in Brisbane on July 19.
“Delighted with the quality of the New Zealand contingent…”
Rugby Australia’s head of high-performance Peter Horne said: “There is plenty of excitement about this fixture, and that is being demonstrated by the number of quality international players eager to be involved. We are delighted with the quality of the New Zealand contingent announced today and look forward to naming more players as the squad comes together.
“We want this team to entertain the big Adelaide crowd and provide the Lions with a tough contest as they head into their three-Test series with the Wallabies. The last time the Lions played a combined Australia-New Zealand side, it went right down to the wire – and we are hoping to deliver another competitive contest.”