SEVEN Welsh players will start for the British and Irish Lions against South Africa ‘A’ at Cape Town Stadium on Wednesday, July 14.

Wyn Jones, Ken Owens, Josh Navidi, Taulupe Faletau, Dan Biggar, Louis Rees-Zammit and Josh Adams all start the match.

Adam Beard and Gareth Davies are also named on the bench to make it nine Wales players in the matchday squad.

Tour captain Conor Murray (Munster, Ireland) is named skipper of a starting XV which has 12 changes to the team that defeated Cell C Sharks 31-71 at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday evening.

Anthony Watson (Bath Rugby, England), Chris Harris (Gloucester Rugby, Scotland) and Dan Biggar (Northampton Saints, Wales) are the only players retained.

Watson shifts from right wing to full-back with Harris moving to 13 where he is joined in midfield by Bundee Aki (Connacht Rugby, Ireland).

The game against South Africa ‘A’ is the fourth match in an eight-game Series culminating in the three Tests against world champions the Springboks.

“We’re pleased to have arrived in Cape Town as we near the halfway stage of the series,” said Gatland.

“Wednesday’s game against South Africa ‘A’ will be our toughest encounter since we arrived here and we’re looking forward to it.

“We expect them to be physical in the contact area and look to test us at scrum time.

“I think we’ve benefitted from playing at altitude in the first three games. While the boys have felt it in their lungs, they’ll be all the better for it now we’re at sea level.

“As we move towards the business end of the tour, it’s pleasing to see so many players putting in some stand-out performances.

“As coaches we want the players to make Test selection as hard as possible and that’s we’re seeing.”

British and Irish Lions: Watson; Rees-Zammit, Harris, Aki, Adams; Biggar, Murray (capt); Jones, Owens, Sinckler, Itoje, Henderson, Navidi, Curry, Faletau. Replacements: Cowan-Dickie, Vunipola, Fagerson, Beard, Beirne, Simmonds, Davies, Daly.

South Africa A: Le Roux; Kolbe, Am (capt), De Allende, Nkosi; Steyn, De Klerk; Kitshoff, Dweba, Nyakane, Etzebeth, Mostert, Van Staden, Du Toit, Wiese. Replacements (to be cut to eight players before kick-off): Marx, Oosthuizen, Koch, Janse van Rensburg, Elstadt, H Jantjies, Kriel, Willemse, Smith, E Jantjies.