Lions without captain for Munster clash
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Lions will be without their inspirational leader, Jaco Kriel ahead of their United Rugby Championship match against Munster on Saturday at Ellis Park.
Kriel, who suffered an injury in the 51st minute last Sunday, is the only change to the starting XV named by head coach Ivan van Rooyen for tomorrow’s clash against the Irish outfit.
“It’s sad to lose Jaco to injury. He underwent surgery on his arm yesterday, so he’ll be sidelined for an extended period. We wish him a successful recovery,” said Van Rooyen.
The Lions mentor went on to say that although his team claimed a much-needed win against Cardiff Rugby, the emphasis remains on improvement and minimizing mistakes.
“Last week’s win was a real confidence booster for us however we are not getting ahead of ourselves. The hard work continues and the intent to improve each week remains our theme,” he said.
“Munster are a fantastic side and have an impeccable record in this competition. Ours will be to ensure we play to our strengths and execute the things we spoke about in the week effectively,” he concluded.
Inside centre, Burger Odendaal takes over the captaincy reigns in the absence of Kriel.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Burger Odendaal (Captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Sibusiso Sangweni, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Sti Sithole,
Replacements: 16 PJ Botha, 17 JP Smith, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Emmanuel Tshituka, 21 Nico Steyn /Ginter Smuts, 22 Manuel Rass, 23 Tiaan Swanepoel.
Date: Saturday, March 19
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 14.00 (12.00 Ireland time; 12.00 GMT)
Referee: Adam Jones
Assistant Referees: Cwengile Jadezweni, Paul Mentte
TMO: Chris Busby
