**The British and Irish Lions launch their 2021 tour when they face Japan on Saturday before departing for South Africa 24 hours later.** Here we take a closer look at some of the talking points heading into the Murrayfield appointment. **Lift off** After months of uncertainty over where the tour would be staged – and if it would even take place at all – the 2021 Lions are poised to finally step on to the playing field in defiance of the coronavirus pandemic. Now it is up to Alun Wyn Jones and his team-mates to plant a flag in the sand by delivering a momentum-building victory over Japan in Edinburgh.
