Lions tour, first test team,
Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan Sexton, Paul O'Connell and Jamie Heaslip
Brian O'Driscoll, Jonathan
Sexton, Paul O'Connell and Jamie Heaslip will also feature in Warren Gatland's
side for Saturday's game in Brisbane.
The coach said Corbisiero's
superior scrummaging resulted in his selection ahead of Mako Vunipola, who was
expected to feature at loosehead prop at the Suncorp Stadium after impressing
during his four starts on tour - but he lost out to his English rival.
"Mako's been pretty
unlucky," Gatland explained.
"We've looked at the
weather conditions and there's a threat of showers. I've no doubt that
(Australia coach) Robbie Deans has looked at Mako technically at scrum
time."
The starting XV features
eight Welshman, four Irish and three English.
O'Driscoll and Jonathan
Davies forge the centre partnership while Sexton and Mike Phillips were the
preferred halfbacks.
O'Connell was picked in the
second row alongside Alun-Wyn Jones. Tommy Bowe is absent recovering from hand
surgery.
Eleven members of the team
that beat the Waratahs 47-17 last Saturday have been retained.
Admitting the selection had
been challenging, Gatland said: "We went through due process and there was
a good discussion about the team.
"Obviously the make-up
of the loose forwards was one, the make-up of the front row was a big
discussion and the make-up of the midfield too. A lot of the players were
rewarded for their performance last Saturday against the Waratahs.
"That was an extremely
positive performance and a lot of those selected for Saturday played against
the Waratahs. But given the attrition rate of the series it's important the
rest of the squad stay focused. We're a really close-knit group and there's a
positive feeling in the team."