Cheetahs fly-half Naas Olivier will start for the Royal XV against the Lions © Getty Images

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Players/Officials: Naas Oliver*

Tournaments/Tours: British and Irish Lions tour

Teams: British and Irish Lions

The Vodacom Cup-winning Griquas dominate the Royal XV side selected to play the British and Irish Lions in the opening game of their tour to South Africa at Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Rustenberg on Saturday.

Royal XV coach Chaka Willemse has decided to keep the core of the Griquas squad to gether as they look to upset the Lions in the first game of their 10-match tour. The remaining places in the side are taken by Leopards players - including skipper Wilhelm Koch. Koch will be the second member of his family to play the Lions after his relative and Springbok prop Chris Koch played four Tests against the 1955 tourists.

The side has Super 14 experience, with Cheetahs Naas Olivier, Sarel Pretorius, Bjorn Basson and Bees Roux and the Lions' Deon van Rensburg set to start.

"I know they (Lions) believe the only way they can win in South Africa is to win the battle up front," said Willemse. "We will be ready for them, but we are not going to be sucked into playing a forwards game only. They've got some big guys in the pack, so if we can move them across the field as much as we can, maybe we can tire them out.

"The biggest challenge has been trying to prepare for opponents we know nothing about. While we know the individuals, we don't know the combinations or how they will play as a team."

Royal XV: Russell Jeacocks; Egon Seconds, Deon van Rensburg, Hanno Coetzee, Bjorn Basson; Naas Olivier, Sarel Pretorius; Jonathan Mokuena, Devon Raubenheimer, Wilhelm Koch, Jacques Lombaard, Rudi Mathee, Bees Roux, Rayno Barnes, Albertus Buckle.

Replacements: Pellow van der Westhuizen, Stef Roberts, Rynard Landman, RW Kember, Jacques Coetzee, Riaan Viljoen, Jovan Bowles.