The Fidelity Securedrive Lions meet Edinburgh in Johannesburg at 14:45 (SA Time) in a United Rugby Championship Round 13 clash.
The Lions will back themselves to secure a third home win in a row after coming off morale-boosting victories against the Hollywoodbets Sharks and DHL Stormers, which will be bolstered by their much more effective attacking statistics and only one home defeat to their name at Ellis Park in the competition this season.
They will also take confidence from the fact that they are currently five log positions above Edinburgh, with six victories to four by the Scots; however, they will be wary of underestimating the visitors, who have only suffered one defeat on the road by more than eight points.
While the teams are closely matched on defence, the Johannesburgers have scored close to 90 points more on attack, which will add to their confidence going into the encounter.
This weekend marks a major milestone for the Lions as Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg prepares to run out for his 100th international appearance for the Johannesburg team. Affectionately known as “Krappie”, the nuggety half-back made his debut in 2019 and has since developed into one of the Lions’ most influential players, earning national honours along the way.
The Lions also welcome back fellow Springboks Ruan Venter and Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who return to the matchday squad after missing the clash against the DHL Stormers, Venter due to concussion protocols and Ntlabakanye following a family bereavement.
Amongst the backs, a positional switch from centre to left wing for Erich Cronje, replacing the injured Kelly Mpeku. Speedster Angelo Davids occupies the opposite wing after an impressive showing against the Stormers nearly 3 weeks ago.
Fresh from securing the SA Shield, head coach Ivan van Rooyen believes plenty still needs to be done towards the bigger goal, which is a play-off spot for his side. The Lions mentor, looking ahead to Saturday, believes the battle up front will be a telling one, setting the tone for this encounter, also bearing in mind that future Lion Boan Venter will be eager to give his future employers a taste of what’s to come.
“We are really proud of winning the SA Shield. But our work’s not done yet. In the last few seasons, we were dependent on other results going our way to qualify.”
“We definitely feel we need to be more consistent in the scrums,” Van Rooyen said. “Boan has done really well over the past year, for Edinburgh and the Boks. I think he will want to prove a point on Saturday before he joins us next season,” he concluded.
On the bench, van Rooyen has opted for power and late-game intensity, calling on Batho Hlekani, Renzo du Plessis, and Haashim Pead, among others, to make an impact in the second half.
This fixture marks the first of four consecutive home games for the Fidelity SecureDrive Lions as they push to secure a play-off position before travelling to Ireland for their remaining fixtures of the competition.
Edinburgh Rugby have been boosted by the return of four Scotland internationals.
Club captain Magnus Bradbury, tighthead prop D’arcy Rae, flanker Freddy Douglas and hooker Ewan Ashman all rejoin the matchday squad following their involvement in the Guinness Six Nations.
Head Coach Sean Everitt also welcomes the return of centre Matt Currie, who has recovered from a hamstring injury to make his first appearance since January.
On the match, Everitt said: “We’re excited to be out in South Africa, gearing up to play in an iconic stadium in Johannesburg.
“The Lions away is one of the toughest assignments in the league, as we found out last year, but we are well prepared and have picked a side that can get a positive result.”
Jack Brown comes into the back-three in place of the injured Wes Goosen, with full-back Harry Paterson and winger Malelili Satala, both of whom start for the fourth game in a row.
Currie is joined in the centres by Mosese Tuipulotu, with Everitt naming an unchanged half-back pairing of Ben Vellacott (scrum-half) and Ross Thompson (fly-half).
Springbok loosehead Boan Venter starts alongside Rae at prop, with hooker Dylan Richardson completing the starting front-row.
The capital lock pairing is unchanged, with Marshall Sykes and Glen Young partnered once again.
Bradbury and Douglas return to form a new-look back-row, with Muncaster shifting to blindside flanker.
Teams
Fidelity Securedrive Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Erich Cronje, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze. Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Richard Kriel.
Edinburgh Ruby: 15 Harry Paterson, 14 Malelili Satala, 13 Matt Currie, 12 Mosese Tuipulotu, 11 Jack Brown, 10 Ross Thompson, 9 Ben Vellacott, 8 Magnus Bradbury (c), 7 Freddy Douglas,6 Ben Muncaster, 5 Glen Young, 4 Marshall Sykes, 3 D’arcy Rae, 2 Dylan Richardson, 1 Boan Venter. Replacements: 16 Ewan Ashman, 17 James Whitcombe, 18 Paul Hill, 19 Callum Hunter-Hill, 20 Liam McConnell, 21 Charlie Shiel, 22 Cammy Scott, 23 Piers O’Conor.