The Dragons No.8 is one of three of the ten-strong Welsh contingent in the Lions tour party for New Zealand who will make their debuts on familiar ground. Shane Williams is selected on the left wing and Gareth Cooper will partner the vice-captain Jonny Wilkinson at half-back.
There are five players in the side with Lions experience from previous tours; Wilkinson, Graham Rowntree, Malcolm O’Kelly, Danny Grewcock and Simon Taylor, while replacements Martin Corry and Ronan O’Gara also played in Australia in 2001.
Owen becomes only the ninth Welshman to captain the Lions against another country following in the footsteps of Teddy Morgan, Alf Harding, JP ‘Ponty’ Jones, Bleddyn Williams, Cliff Morgan, David Watkins, John Dawes and Phil Bennett.
The Zurich Test
British & Irish Lions Team v Argentina
15 Geordan Murphy (Leicester Tigers, Ireland)
14 Denis Hickie (Leinster, Ireland)
13 Ollie Smith (Leicester Tigers, England)
12 Gordan D’Arcy (Leinster, Ireland)
11 Shane Williams (Ospreys, Wales)
10 Jonny Wilkinson (Newcastle Falcons, England)
09 Gareth Cooper (Dragons, Wales)
01 Graham Rowntree (Leicester Tigers, England)
02 Shane Byrne (Leinster, Ireland)
03 John Hayes (Munster, Ireland)
04 Malcolm O’Kelly (Leinster, Ireland)
05 Danny Grewcock (Bath, England)
06 Simon Taylor (Edinburgh, Scotland)
07 Lewis Moody (Leicester Tigers, England)
08 Michael Owen (Dragons, Wales)
Replacements
16 Steve Thompson (Northampton Saints, England)
17 Julian White (Leicester Tigers, England)
18 Donncha O’Callaghan (Munster, Ireland)
19 Martin Corry (Leicester Tigers, England)
20 Chris Cussiter (Borders, Scotland)
21 Ronan O’Gara (Munster, Ireland)
22 Shane Horgan (Leinster, Ireland)
