Lions make key changes for Glasgow Warriors clash
by KickOff Rugby · KickOffThe Lions take on Scottish outfit Glasgow Warriors in Round 5 of the United Rugby Championship. Kick-off at Scotstoun is at 21:45 (SA time).
Following last week’s stumble against Edinburgh, the Johannesburg side go into Friday’s fixture eager to finish a difficult tour on a high before travelling back to South Africa.
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Head coach Ivan van Rooyen has opted for a new-look front row, with SJ Kotze (loosehead), Tiaan Lange (hooker) and RF Schoeman (tighthead) combining to put the opposition scrum under pressure – a key strength of the Lions over the past few seasons. Etienne Oosthuizen returns to the second row after leaving the field against Edinburgh.
Francke Horn continues his leadership in the loose trio alongside fit-again Siba Qoma, who has recovered from concussion, and the athletic Siba Mahashe. The only change in the backline sees Springbok Morne van den Berg return at scrumhalf, with last week’s starter Nico Steyn providing cover on the bench.
Assistant coach Wessel Roux is wary of the challenge Franco Smith’s side will bring on Friday night, especially with the international contingent they have at their disposal.
“They’re a really good side,” said Roux. “Most of them are international players, really well coached by Franco [Smith], and they have a real attacking mindset with amazing skills in the wet. Their set-piece is also good.”
Roux admitted that his side’s lineout performance was a talking point after the Edinburgh match, but indicated that it’s something which has been addressed extensively ahead of Glasgow.
“We just had a combination of calls that were communicated incorrectly. Once or twice, we made the wrong call, so there was a communication issue, which is something we’ve worked on.
“It was just a combination of a few things, but we’ve spoken about it at length and found solutions,” he concluded.
In other team news, Boan Venter, Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Boeta Chamberlain are among the replacement players ready to provide impact from the bench.
Lions team to face Glasgow
15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Erich Cronjé, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horne (captain), 7 Siba Qoma, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 Tiaan Lange, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 Boan Venter, 18 Conraad van Vuuren, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Richard Kriel, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.