Johannesburg - The Emirates Lions matchday 23 that was set to face Glasgow Warriors this past weekend, will get another opportunity to make an impact on the United Rugby Championship (URC) in a massive SA derby against the defending champions, the Stormers.
Head coach Ivan van Rooyen has made one enforced change to the team he picked last week: Sti Sithole will miss Saturday’s encounter due to a concussion suffered during training this week, with Morgan Naude slotting in as his replacement.
It is, therefore, an extremely settled Lions side for the weekend’s matchup. Van Rooyen had the option to install Gianni Lombard back into the No 10 channel, but has instead kept to his promise to give future dynamo Jordan Hendrikse a run at flyhalf.
Lombard, meanwhile, will keep the bench warm, and should be a welcome impact player later in the match.
The Lions had, quite unexpectedly, this past weekend off after Glasgow pulled out of their fixture due to a stomach bug that felled the majority of their touring squad. The Joburgers, therefore, should be well rested – having enjoyed a “braai” as scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys suggested earlier this week.
The Stormers meanwhile, should be slightly fatigued after returning from their European Tour and a recent, six-point defeat to Cardiff Rugby. The Lions are also hoping to bounce back from their narrow defeat a fortnight ago to Ulster.
The Lions are currently eighth in the URC standings on 15 points. They trail the fourth-placed Cape-based side by four points, and could leapfrog the Stormers with a bonus-point victory.
Kick-off for the encounter is 4pm at Emirates Airline Park.
Lions starting XV: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Joubert, 11 Quan Horn, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Emmanuel Tshituka, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel (capt), 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 PJ Botha, 1 JP Smith. Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Morne van den Berg, 22 Gianni Lombard, 23 Zander du Plessis