Blues v British and Irish Lions: Five talking points as Gatland's men look to make a statement in Eden Park
By Keith Moore
Last Updated: 07/06/17 7:52am
Five talking points ahead of the Lions' second game of the tour as they travel to Auckland to take on the Blues, live on Sky Sports 1 from 8am on Wednesday.
The Lions will be desperate to atone for the stuttering 13-7 win over the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians in Whangarei over the weekend, but their task doesn't get any easier as they take on a side full of Super Rugby stars.
Centre of attention
Sonny Bill Williams has been passed fit for Wednesday's Eden Park clash and will form a formidable centre partnership with fellow All Black George Moala, which means Ireland team-mates Robbie Henshaw and Jared Payne will have their work cut out.
Moala and Williams have scored 12 tries at international level between them, but it's not just tries where the Kiwis are dominant, as Williams' offload game and Moala's speed are likely to cause problems throughout the 80 minutes.
However, Payne and Henshaw have more combined international experience than their opposite numbers, and the pair started in Ireland's famous win over the All Blacks in November - with Moala on the losing side that afternoon.
It promises to be a bruising affair in the midfield - who will come out on top and help guide their side to victory?
Midfield mentors
The Blues have selected 20-year-old Stephen Perofeta at fly-half for the visit of the Lions.
Coach Tana Umaga had the option to include Bryn Gatland in the side after the No 10 caused havoc against his father's side on Saturday, but decided instead to opt for the exciting youngster who was kept from New Zealand Under 20s duty at the request of the Blues.
Perofeta only made his Blues debut on Saturday, coming on as a replacement in the win over the Reds - scoring the winning try - but Umaga said the fly-half has done enough to warrant his place.
"We just want to make sure he's developing but he's earned the right to start for us this week," said Umaga.
"We don't want to put too much pressure on the young man but an opportunity against the Lions doesn't come around every day.
"I'm sure he's got a cool demeanour to handle that and with the support around him."
Sky Sports pundit Stuart Barnes described Perofeta as "a gifted player", but said the New Zealander's relative inexperience would require the seasoned players in midfield to step up, in particular All Blacks centre Williams.
"You need people who help around you and Sonny Bill is just that player," said Barnes.
Lions' experience
The side that Gatland has picked for the game is laden with talent, but there are 11 players set to make their Lions debut on Wednesday.
There is no questioning the ability of those who have been selected, and while the players may not have much experience playing for the Lions, the combinations are certainly familiar at other levels.
Wingers Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell have played alongside each other for England, and Payne and Henshaw have combined 16 times for Ireland, winning the 2015 Six Nations together.
Dan Biggar and Rhys Webb play together for club and country, while Courtney Lawes and Maro Itoje played alongside Daly and Nowell as England retained their Six Nations title earlier this year.
Gatland's troops will no doubt back themselves to make the international experience outweigh the lack of Lions experience on Wednesday.
Big pack mentality
Gatland has picked a big, physical pack of forwards for the clash at Eden Park. The loose trio of CJ Stander, James Haskell and Justin Tipuric offers plenty of ball-carrying options for the Lions, while Itoje and Lawes will be an enormous presence in the set piece.
Props Jack McGrath and Dan Cole offer a solid platform in the scrum, while Ken Owens was the form hooker in this year's Six Nations.
The visitors will be tough for the Blues to handle, but there are some veterans in the Kiwi side, as Charlie Faumuina and Steven Luatua look to bring their Test backgrounds to the game.
Key to the game will be the Lions forwards' ability to starve the Kiwis of the possession - and speed of play - that makes them so lethal.
Ioane v Nowell
There will be plenty of interesting battles on Wednesday; Stander going toe-to-toe with Luatua, and McGrath squaring up to Faumuina in the scrums. But the one that stands out is the showdown between Jack Nowell and Rieko Ioane.
Nowell's credentials are well documented. Though he didn't feature for all of Exeter's Premiership season, he was influential whenever he played, and he was also a key part of England's successful Six Nations campaign. Still, the task at hand won't be an easy on for the Chiefs flyer.
Ioane has been tearing it up in Super Rugby this season - his ten tries the second-most in the competition alongside Chiefs' James Lowe.
The winger is also in the top five in the competition for metres made with ball in hand, having consumed 965 metres in 14 appearances, and the top ten for defenders beaten with 44.
Blues: 15 Michael Collins, 14 Matt Duffie, 13 George Moala, 12 Sonny Bill Williams, 11 Rieko Ioane, 10 Stephen Perofeta, 9 Augustine Pulu; 1 Ofa Tu'ungafasi, 2 James Parsons (c), 3 Charlie Faumuina, 4 Gerard Cowley Tuioti, 5 Scott Scrafton, 6 Akira Ioane, 7 Blake Gibson, 8 Steven Luatua.
Replacements: 16 Hame Faiva, 17 Alex Hodgman, 18 Sione Mafileo, 19 Patrick Tuipulotu, 20 Kara Pryor, 21 Sam Nock, 22 Ihaia West, 23 TJ Faiane.
British and Irish Lions: 15 Leigh Halfpenny, 14 Jack Nowell, 13 Jared Payne, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Elliot Daly, 10 Dan Biggar, 9 Rhys Webb; 1 Jack McGrath, 2 Ken Owens (c), 3 Dan Cole, 4 Maro Itoje, 5 Courtney Lawes, 6 James Haskell, 7 Justin Tipuric, 8 CJ Stander.
Replacements: 16 Rory Best, 17 Joe Marler, 18 Kyle Sinckler, 19 Iain Henderson, 20 Peter O'Mahony, 21 Greig Laidlaw, 22 Johnny Sexton, 23 Liam Williams.
Watch the Lions take on the Blues live on Sky Sports 1 from 8am on Wednesday