The Lions take on reigning champions Leinster in Round 17 of the United Rugby Championship in Dublin this Saturday with a settled XV.
The much-anticipated clash will see both sides fight for maximum points towards the race to the last eight, with home playoff spots on the line.
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen opted for a settled match 23, showing faith in the players that have done the job for him in the last three months.
Hard-man Etienne Oosthuizen returns to the second row after missing out against Connacht, meaning Springbok Ruan Venter returns to the familiar number 7 jersey.
The tournament’s leading point scorer, Chris Smith, will be tasked with bossing matters at the Aviva alongside the energetic Morne van den Berg. Centre turned wing Erich Cronje finds himself swapping positions with fellow flyer Angelo Davids – the former starting on the right wing on Saturday.
Finally, Lions centre Richard Kriel reaches his 50th international match for the club.
Speaking to the media earlier this week, defence coach and Springbok legend Jaque Fourie credits the successful home run his team has had and he hopes that form will continue in Dublin this weekend.
“For us now, I think we’ve had four or five big results at home, which has built a lot of confidence,” Fourie explained.
“But that’s what you need when you come to Leinster to play them. We’ve found our identity. We know how we want to play. We know what we need to do on Saturday to win and to beat Leinster.”
Much with the team’s attacking strength over the last few fixtures, defence has been the cornerstone of how the Lions have kept sides under pressure, thus restricting their freedom to play.
Kick-off at the Aviva is at 18:30.
Lions – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Erich Cronje, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horne (c), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Kelly Mpeku.
