British and Irish Lions 2017: Ken Owens captains side against Blues after recovering from injury to start

Ken Owens will captain the British and Irish Lions against the Blues on Wednesday after recovering from an ankle injury that at one stage had thrown his tour into serious doubt.

The Wales hooker will lead a completely new starting XV against the Auckland-based Super Rugby side at Eden Park, and he is joined in the team by four of his national teammates with Rhys Webb and Dan Biggar forming the half-back partnership.

“He has worked really hard on his recovery and it's great to have him available,” said head coach Warren Gatland. “He has captained the Scarlets and has assumed a leadership role within the camp and it is a great opportunity for him.”

Leigh Halfpenny starts at full-back in place of Stuart Hogg, while Justin Tipuric replaces tour captain Sam Warburton at openside flanker. Tipuric is joined in the back-row by England’s James Haskell – an injury call-up for Billy Vunipola – at blindside flanker and Ireland’s CJ Stander at No 8.

The rest of the pack is made up of Ireland loosehead prop Jack McGrath and England tighthead Dan Cole, with an all-English second-row of Maro Itoje and Courtney Lawes.

Behind the pack, Robbie Henshaw joins fit-again Ireland colleague Jared Payne in the centres, the latter recovering from the calf strain that ruled him out of the opening game of the tour, while Elliot Daly and Jack Nowell make up an all-English wing combination.

Gatland is determined to give every player at least one start over the course of the first three matches to show what they can do, with the New Zealander admitting the need to keep harmony among the squad took preference over gelling his Test side early on.

"We have made 15 changes to the starting XV and we are excited to see what this team is able to do against the Blues,” he said.

"We have stated from the off that we want to give every player a start in the first three games and Wednesday is an opportunity for this set of players to show what they can do in a Lions jersey.”

The Lions kicked off their 10-match tour with an unconvincing 13-7 victory over the New Zealand Provincial Barbarians, though the five Super Rugby sides – as well as the New Zealand Maori – will pose a much stiffer test for the touring side.

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“It was good to get the win under our belts last weekend,” Gatland added. “The boys in the stand were itching to get their chance and they are really excited about Wednesday.

"We have a few work ons from last weekend and we know we need to be more clinical. We created some good opportunities against the Barbarians but didn't see them through and that is something we want to improve on."

Six of the eight replacements featured in that match, with the entire front-row of Joe Marler, Rory Best and Kyle Sinckler included alongside Iain Henderson, Greig Laidlaw and Jonathan Sexton, while both Peter O’Mahony and Liam Williams could receive their first taste of Lions action if they come on against the Blues.

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Gatland added: "We are expecting a big crowd at Eden Park. It will be the first of three matches there for us and we know the atmosphere will be outstanding. We are hoping for some good weather and are expecting a tough, fast and open game of rugby.”

It means that the only players who will not have made an appearance after the second game of the tour are flanker Sean O’Brien, scrum-half Conor Murray, centre Jonathan Davies and wing George North, while Mako Vunipola, Jamie George, Tadhg Furlong, George Kruis, O’Mahony, Owen Farrell and Williams are yet to start a match.

Halfpenny; Nowell, Payne, Henshaw, Daly; Biggar, Webb; McGrath, Owens, Cole; Itoje, Lawes; Haskell, Tipuric, Stander.

Replacements: Best, Marler, Sinckler, Henderson, O'Mahony, Laidlaw, Sexton, Williams