Talismanic Springbok loose forward Ruan Venter returns to the Lions team as they look to bounce back against the Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Venter is back from a four-match suspension following his illegal tackle in the 23-22 win over the Sharks at Kings Park – a match settled in dramatic fashion by a late try from scrumhalf Haashim Pead.
In his absence, Junior Springbok Batho Hlekani has stepped up impressively and is expected to make an impact from the bench.
There’s also a Vodacom URC debut for impressive U21 captain Siba Mahashe, who is thrust straight into the starting lineup and will wear the No 6 jersey. The Hudson Park product got his first taste of senior rugby in January when he made his debut against French side Lyon in the EPCR Challenge Cup – a 43-33 win at Ellis Park.
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The loose trio is completed by Francke Horn, who’ll captain the side from the back of the scrum. Lock Darrien Landsberg brings up a milestone for the Joburg-based outfit, playing in his 50th match.
Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg is still preferred above former Junior Bok Haashim Pead and will resume his halfback partnership with Chris Smith. Henco van Wyk, Angelo Davids and Quan Horn will provide some spark to the backline.
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In the Lions’ last URC outing, they were demolished 52-17 by the Bulls at Ellis Park, while the Sharks are coming off back-to-back wins over the Stormers in Cape Town and Durban.
LIONS – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Ettienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Bench: 16 Franco Marais, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Eddie Davids, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Erich Cronje.
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Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
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