Scholtz answers Lions SOS
The 22-year-old rookie answered the Lions' SOS in a week when their front row resources were severely depleted.
Not only has prop Ruan Dreyer undergone surgery – after he fractured his right wrist in the 45-10 Super Rugby win over the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth last Saturday – but both hooker Malcolm Marx and prop the other tighthead prop, Julian Redelinghuys, have been ruled out of Saturday's Round 10 outing.
Dreyer, who underwent surgery on Tuesday this week, will be sidelined for approximately six months.
Marx, who suffered a soft tissue injury of his neck against the Stormers 10 days ago, and Redelinghuys, who sprained his right wrist in the same match, are expected to come back into the selection frame after next week's bye.
The Lions' next match, after this week's Hurricanes encounter, will be against the Blues at Ellis Park on May 14.
The Lions are also still without hooker Robbie Coetzee, who underwent knee surgery late last month to repair cartilage after a knock on the knee earlier in the season.
Hooker Armand van der Merwe will start in the front row alongside Scholtz, with Dylan Smith – another youngster – on at loosehead prop.
Ramone Samuels, Corne Fourie and Jacques Van Rooyen will provide front row cover off the bench.
Scholtz, who grew up in the Northern Cape, represented Griquas at age-group level and moved to the Johannesburg-based Lions in 2013. He continued to play age-group rugby and worked his way through the ranks before making his first-class debut for the Lions in the Vodacom Cup in 2014.
Scholtz was utilised as the Golden Lions' first-choice tighthead prop during the 2015 Vodacom Cup and was included in the starting line-up for the Golden Lions' final match in the 2015 Currie Cup regular season – making his Currie Cup against his former side Griquas.
Lions: 15 Jaco van der Walt, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Pieter Scholtz, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Ross Cronje, 22 John-Wessel Bell, 23 Rohan Janse van Rensburg.
Date: Saturday, April 30
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT; 03.05, Sunday, April 31, NZ time)
Referee: Marius van der Westhuizen
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper, Ben Crouse
TMO: Johan Greeff
