Marius Louw has been handed the captaincy of an overhauled Lions team to battle Section Paloise in the EPCR Challenge Cup at Ellis Park on Saturday night.
The veteran centre played off the bench in last week’s loss at Ospreys, and has been recalled to start in one of 10 changes as the Lions aim to bounce back in a must-win clash against Pau, the Lions’ final home match of the year.
Seven changes have been made in the pack, as props Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Juan Schoeman scrum down on either side of hooker PJ Botha, while Ruben Schoeman and Reinhard Nothnagel form the lock pairing. The loose trio includes Jarod Cairns, No 8 Francke Horn and WJ Steenkamp, the latter shifting from the back of the scrum to openside flanker this week.
Morne van den Berg returns to start at scrumhalf, with Sam Francis retaining his spot at No 10, and Louw teams up with Erich Cronje in midfield. Springbok winger Edwill van der Merwe and Rabz Maxwane join Tapiwa Mafura in an explosive back three.
Fullback Quan Horn and centre Henco van Wyk were ruled out due to injury, while Ruan Venter and Siba Qoma remain on the sidelines until 2025.
Photo: Kian Abdullah/Gallo Images
