Lions stick to winning formula for Bulls showdown
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Lions Head Coach Ivan van Rooyen has made one change to his starting XV from last week’s victory over the Stormers for their Round Nine rescheduled fixture against the Bulls.
The change sees Jarod Cairns join the back row alongside captain Francke Horn and Springbok Ruan Venter.
The front-row replacements feature Morgan Naude and Conrad van Vuuren, with Siba Qoma also making a return.
Recently announced Springbok Alignment Camp attendees Renzo du Plessis and Nico Steyn could also feature come Saturday.
The Lions also issued an injury update to clarify which players are unavailable for selection.
The players are: Bronson Mills, Rabz Maxwane, Ruhan Straeuli, Reinhardt Nothnagel, Erich Cronje, Raynard Roets, Rynhardt Jonker and Morne Brandon.
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Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Juan Schoeman
Replacements: 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Sibabalo Qoma, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Manuel Rass.
Date: Saturday, February 22
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 14.00 (12.00 GMT)
Referee: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Morne Ferreira (South Africa), Sean Muller (South Africa)
TMO: Egon Seconds (South Africa)
Watch the highly acclaimed five-part documentary Chasing the Sun 2, chronicling the journey of the Springboks as they strive to successfully defend the Rugby World Cup, free on RugbyPass TV (*unavailable in Africa)
