The Fidelity SecureDrive Lions take on Irish side Munster in Round 18 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship in the tournament’s fixture this Saturday night. A win for the men from Johannesburg will secure them a place in the play-offs- a first for the club since the inclusion of South African teams in the competition back in 2021.
On the back of a spirited effort against Leinster last weekend, head coach Ivan van Rooyen has tweaked his match 23 slightly, amongst them being forced changes.
Sebastian Lombard starts at tighthead prop in place of Asenathi Ntlabakanye after news broke of his unavailability due to a ban issued by doping authorities this week. Lock Etienne Oosthuizen misses out this week with Darrien Landsberg partnering with Reinhard Nothnagel in the second row.
Changes in the back row sees the abrasive Batho Hlekani start in the number 7 jersey after a knee injury ruled out Springbok Ruan Venter in the early minutes at the Aviva last week. Hlekani slots into a dynamic loose trio which consists of breakout star Siba Mahashe and team captain Francke Horn.
A singular change in the backline sees Kelly Mpeku start on the right wing after coming of the bench last week.
Fidelity SecureDrive captain Francke Horn refused to be drawn into permutation talks ahead of this must-win clash, instead relying on a simple scenario.
“Our goal has always been to make the top eight,” said Horn.
“If we win this weekend, we do that, so it’s basically as straightforward as that. A win makes sure we’re in the top eight – then you don’t have to worry about who plays where and who has to lose that spot.”
Horn further emphasised the enormity of Saturday’s clash with tactics to get the better of the former URC champions.
“We already have our plans for Munster and how we want to force our game onto them,” he said. “It’s a straight shootout. Munster are also going to be desperate – they need a win. So it’s going to be a massive game.”
On the bench RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Siba Qoma and Haashim Pead are amongst the reserves who are likely to experience the intensity of the final round-robin match of the tournament.
Kick-off at Thomond Park is at 20:45 (SA time)
Fidelity SecureDrive Lions: 1. SJ Kotze, 2. PJ Botha, 3. Sebastian Lombard, 4. Reinhard Nothnagel, 5. Darrien Landsberg, 6. Siba Mahashe, 7. Batho Hlekani, 8. Francke Horn (c), 9. Morne van den Berg, 10. Chris Smith, 11. Angelo Davids, 12. Richard Kriel, 13. Henco van Wyk, 14. Kelly Mpeku, 15. Quan Horn. Replacements: 16. Morne Brandon, 17. Eddie Davids, 18. RF Schoeman, 19. Ruan Delport, 20. Siba Qoma, 21. JC Pretorius, 22. Haashim Pead, 23. Rynhardt Jonker.