Brian O'Driscoll will captain the Lions against the Golden Lions at Coca-Cola Park on Wednesday night in his first appearance for the tourists since dislocating his shoulder in the opening minute of the first Test against New Zealand in 2005.

Any temptation the Lions had of resting the Ireland skipper, who has suffered a sequence of stingers in his right shoulder for the last six weeks, until Saturday's match against the Free State Cheetahs in Bloemfontein was shattered when Riki Flutey and Luke Fitzgerald were ruled out of Wednesday's game through injury and illness respectively.

Fitzgerald has a chest infection while Flutey this morning went for a scan on his right leg after suffering a thigh strain in the closing minutes of Saturday's victory over a Royal XV. Jamie Roberts will play his second match at inside-centre, one of three players in the side who featured in the opening game. Tommy Bowe and David Wallace are the others in a side showing 12 personnel changes with Wallace switching from No8 to open-side flanker.

"Riki has a problem behind his right knee," said the Lions head coach, Ian McGeechan. "We will have to wait for the results of the scan before knowing when he will be able to play. It was not the plan to play Jamie or Tommy against the Golden Lions, but injuries happen and you have to get on with it."

Four players will be making their debuts for the Lions – Rob Kearney, Ugo Monye, Nathan Hines and Tom Croft, while six of the seven on the bench (Shane Williams is the exception) have yet to pull on the jersey. Three others have yet to start a game this tour: Fitzgerald, Flutey and Donncha O'Callaghan.

"The first two teams were based on the six days we had together in Bagshot before we left for South Africa," said McGeechan. "That is why we are going with the established pairing of Stephen Jones and Mike Phillips at half-back. Harry Ellis was preparing for the Heineken Cup that week with Leicester and he will start on Saturday.

"What is important is that we take our form at the end of the game on Saturday into the encounter with the Golden Lions. We have to improve our ball retention from the opening day, but what we showed, and will continue to do so, was a willingness to attack when the opportunity was on no matter where we were on the pitch.

"There may have been a perception when we arrived in South Africa that we would play conservatively, kicking when we had the ball in our own half, but we are encouraging the players to be positive, to react to what is around them and to think. They showed a willingness to counter-attack and it was good to see both wings involved in the game throughout.

"There were some handling errors, but at least we got ourselves into good positions. What is key in rugby is the ability to vary your game and keep opponents guessing. It would have been crazy on Saturday to have shown our full hand and we will build into each game, all the way to the first Test. What is essential at this stage is that you do not overload the players with information. We will add elements gradually in the coming weeks and our approach will be positive."

O'Driscoll said he was not looking at Wednesday as an opportunity to put things right after his last Lions appearance ended in pain and despair. "It is a chance to pull on the jersey again and I am delighted," he said. "It is an honour to lead the side once more. The captaincy for the tour was out of my hands and Geech went for Paul [O'Connell], which to my mind was a good a bet as any."

Asked by a South African reporter whether the Bull's demolition of the Chiefs in last Saturday's Super 14 final offered a pointer to the Test series, O'Driscoll replied: "We have a number of winners in our squad, guys who have won World Cups, Heineken Cups and league titles.

"Winning becomes a habit and this squad is so strong that you know that if you do not bring your game to training, you are in trouble. The opening game was frustrating in some ways, but the players dug deep to win and we have to take that forward on Wednesday. There is a great spirit in the squad and we have a great chance this week."

The Lions today told the Wales wing Leigh Halfpenny, who has been recovering from a thigh injury in Cardiff, to fly out immediately after being satisfied about his fitness. He is expected to arrive tomorrow, but Flutey's injury is untimely given the shortage of options the tourists have at inside-centre.

Team to face Golden Lions:

15. Rob Kearney (Leinster/Ireland)

14. Tommy Bowe (Ospreys/Ireland)

13. Brian O'Driscoll (Leinster/Ireland)

12. Jamie Roberts (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

11. Ugo Monye (Harlequins/England)

10. Stephen Jones (Scarlets/Wales)

9. Mike Phillips (Ospreys/Wales)

8. Jamie Heaslip (Leinster/Ireland)

7. David Wallace (Munster/Ireland)

6. Tom Croft (Leicester Tigers/England)

5. Alun-Wyn Jones (Ospreys/Wales)

4. Nathan Hines (Perpignan/Scotland)

3. Phil Vickery (London Wasps/England)

2. Lee Mears (Bath/England)

1. Gethin Jenkins (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

Replacements:

16. Ross Ford (Edinburgh/Scotland)

17. Euan Murray (Northampton Saints/Scotland)

18. Stephen Ferris (Ulster/Ireland)

19. Andy Powell (Cardiff Blues/Wales)

20. Harry Ellis (Leicester Tigers/England)

21. James Hook (Ospreys/Wales)

22. Shane Williams (Ospreys/Wales)