The Ospreys skipper will partner Geroge Kruis in the second row as one of four Welshmen in the starting XV with another four on the bench. Liam Williams, Jonathan Davies and Taulupe Faletau make the team, while Ken Owens, Sam Warburton, Rhys Webb and Leigh Halpenny are on the bench.
Head coach Warren Gatland has chosen to keep tour skipper Warburton among the replacements and give the Irish duo, Sean O’Brien and Peter O’Mahony the starting berths alongside No 8 Faletau. O’Mahony will captain the side.
Jones led the Lions in their third Test victory over the Wallabies in 2013 in Sydney when they clinched the series 2-1. As well as starting in all three internationals in Australia, he also played in the three Tests against the Springboks in 2009.
Munster skipper O’Mahony captained the Lions in the victory over the Maori All Blacks and will follow in the footsteps of Brian O’Driscoll (2005) and Paul O’Connell (2009) in providing Irish leadership into recent Test series.
“We have picked a side based on form with a lot of players putting their hands up, especially from the Crusaders and Maori All Blacks games, and it was a lively selection meeting. The win against the Chiefs was also extremely important for the squad and some players played themselves into the side,” said Gatland.
“We have continuously been strong at set piece and have been good defensively in the last two or three outings. But to beat the All Blacks you have to be courageous and play some rugby – you have to score tries and I think we have picked a team capable of doing that.”
There are seven Test Lions in the starting XV with three more on the bench in a match day squad combining experience and form. The pack is retained from the Crusaders victory, including the back row of O’Mahony, O’Brien and Faletau.
“It’s a reward for how the back row has gone. There is a nice balance there while Peter captained the side against the Maori All Blacks and has done a good job,” added Gatland.
Williams is selected at fullback ahead of Welsh team mate Halfpenny, who was the Player of the Series for the Lions in Austalia four years ago, and Elliot Daly gets the nod on the wing with fellow Englishman Anthony Watson following the four-try victory against the Chiefs on Tuesday.
“Elliot has been very accurate in the way he has played and we saw some excellent attacking play from Liam on Tuesday night. We are excited about the 15 that take the field but also the very strong and experienced bench players who will have an impact,” said Gatland, who has left George North out of his matchday 23.
Williams, Owens and Webb will make their Lions Test debuts in Auckland, while Davies will be making his fourth successive appearance having played in all three games against the Wallabies in 2013.
British & Irish Lions
15. Liam Williams
14. Anthony Watson
13. Jonathan Davies
12. Ben Te’o
11. Elliot Daly
10. Owen Farrell
9. Conor Murray
1. Mako Vunipola
2. Jamie George
3. Tadhg Furlong
4. Alun Wyn Jones
5. George Kruis
6. Peter O’Mahony (captain)
7. Sean O’Brien
8. Taulupe Faletau
Replacements
16. Ken Owens
17. Jack McGrath
18. Kyle Sinckler
19. Maro Itoje
20. Sam Warburton
21. Rhys Webb
22. Johnny Sexton
23. Leigh Halfpenny
