Photo Credit: Speedshots.co.za
Lions Xerox head coach Ivan van Rooyen made only one change to his starting line-up who will travel to Mbombela on Saturday to play against the Phakisa Pumas @ 14h00.
Wiehahn Herbst will make his Carling Currie Cup debut for the Xerox Lions when they face the Phakisa Pumas in the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit on Saturday.
The Klerksdorp-born prop joined the Lions during the lockdown in July and has since made Johannesburg his home. He has been around the block after giving up a potential opportunity to play Test rugby for Ireland to return to South Africa when he joined the Bulls in 2019.
Herbst (32) has over 80 appearances for Ulster under his belt when his family resided in Ireland for five years from 2014.
The burly prop made his professional debut for the Sharks in 2009 and spent many years playing for the Durban side with 40 Vodacom Super Rugby caps before moving to Ulster. He scored his first try for Ulster in 2015 against Leinster.
Marnus Schoeman makes a welcome return to the bench, as does Manuel Rass, while the reserves also welcome back Carlu Sadie.
Xerox Lions: Tiaan Swanepoel, Stean Pienaar, Wandisile Simelane, Dan Kriel, Cournall Skosan; Elton Jantjies (captain), André Warner; Len Massyn, Vincent Tshituka, Jaco Kriel, Marvin Orie, Willem Alberts, Wiehahn Herbst, Jaco Visagie, Dylan Smith. Replacements: Jan-Henning Campher, Ruan Dreyer, Carlu Sadie, Reinhard Nothnagel, Wilhelm van der Sluys, Morné van den Berg, Manuel Rass, Marnus Schoeman