Johannesburg — In a major setback for the Lions, Covid protocols have robbed thems of two of their best players in hooker Jaco Visagie and centre Burger Odendaal for Saturday’s United Rugby Championship match against Edinburgh at Emirates Airline Park (4.05pm).
Odedaal, who has been captaining the team, is in the best form of his life and was on fire in his team’s demolition of the Ospreys while the irrepressible Visagie is a continual nuisance to the opposition.
PJ Botha and Manuel Rass come in for Visagie and Odendaal, respectively while there is a rotational change at loosehead prop where JP Smith comes in for Sti Sithole.
“Jaco and Burger were close contacts earlier in the week, so Covid protocols mean they needed to be away from the team to mitigate risk,” coach Ivan van Rooyen said. “They will be assessed on Monday next wee.
Speaking on Smith’s inclusion, the Lions mentor says the loosehead prop has been rewarded for good performances across all competitions.
“JP has impressed us in both the Currie Cup as well as stints in the URC, so we are eager to see what he can offer us from minute one,” said Van Rooyen.
The Lions, led by lock Reinhard Nothnagel, will look to continue their positive string of results against northern hemisphere opposition, following wins against Cardiff, Munster and Ospreys in recent weeks.
Van Rooyen however cautioned against taking the foot off the pedal, especially against a side that recorded a big win last weekend in Durban.
“Edinburgh were successful last week, so they might fancy their chances up here. Likewise, we’ve had a string of positive results in recent weeks which has certainly motivated us to improve on our performances as the tournament progresses.”
With the recent announcement by the government to relax COVID-19 restrictions, Van Rooyen believes an increase in fan attendance is a major boost for the sport.
“It’s always fantastic playing in front of a packed stadium, so we’re looking forward to experiencing that kind of atmosphere once more with the increase of the number of fans at sports venues. As a team, it certainly plays a huge role from a motivation point of view,” he concludes.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Manuel Rass, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Francke Horn, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben Schoeman, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 PJ Botha 1 JP Smith.
Substitutes: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Ruan Dreyer, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Ruan Venter, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Andre Warner, 22 Henco van Wyk, 23 Tiaan Swanepoel.
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