Ivan van Rooyen has omitted two Springboks with caps from the starting squad for Saturday’s URC match against Connacht in Galway.
The Lions will play their first-ever match at The Sportsground, Connacht’s renowned stadium in Galway, Ireland, on the penultimate day of their four-week tour of Europe and the United Kingdom.
Van Rooyen has selected his team appropriately, as a victory there will move the Lions closer to the United Rugby Championship playoffs.
In the starting lineup are flanker Sibusiso Sangweni, wing Stean Pienaar, and hooker PJ Botha.
In the forward pack, Sangweni and Botha replace Jaco Kriel and Michael van Vuuren, respectively.
In the back division, Springbok Andries Coetzee is also relegated to the bench, while Pienaar assumes the back-three position. Pienaar will play on the wing, while Quan Horn will move from the wide position to fullback.
Tomorrow night’s encounter between the Lions and Connacht at the Sportsground will begin at 21:35 (SA time). And SuperSport will broadcast it in South Africa.
LIONS TEAM TO FACE CONNACHT IN THE URC: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 André Warner, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Emile van Heerden, 6 Sibusiso Sangweni, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha , 1 JP Smith.
Subs: 16 Michael Van Vuuren, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Manual Rass, 23 Andries Coetzee.
Lions URC Connacht team
»Lions bench Springboks for crucial match against URC«