Lions wing Kelly Mpeku
Image: Backpagepix
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen has tweaked his match-23 slightly for the Round 18 United Rugby Championship fixture against Munster on Saturday night, with several changes forced upon the Johannesburg outfit.
A win for the men from Johannesburg will secure them a historic first involvement in the play-offs since the inclusion of South African teams in the competition in 2021. Last week, the Lions put up a decent fight against Leinster before falling away in the final quarter — eventually going down 31–7.
One of the forced changes follows the banning on Thursday of tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye after an independent panel found him guilty of a doping offence. He is replaced by 23-year-old Sebastian Lombard, a 2022 Junior Springbok. In the second row, veteran Etienne Oosthuizen misses out this week, with Darrien Landsberg partnering Reinhard Nothnagel.
Changes in the back row see the abrasive Batho Hlekani start in the No. 7 jersey after a knee injury ruled out Springbok Ruan Venter in the early minutes in Dublin last week. Hlekani slots into a dynamic loose trio alongside breakout star Siba Mahashe and team captain Francke Horn.
A single change in the backline sees Kelly Mpeku start on the right wing after coming off the bench last week. He replaces Erich Cronje, who drops out of the squad. On the bench, RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Siba Qoma, and Haashim Pead are tasked with providing second-half impact.
Seven of the match-23 have been invited to next week’s Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town. They are: Mahashe, Hlekani, Horn, Morne van den Berg, Henco van Wyk, Quan Horn, and Haashim Pead — a clear indication of the growing depth within the Lions' structures.
Lions team for Munster:
15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (capt), 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Morné Brandon, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Siba Qoma, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.