Lions captain Francke Horn returns from injury to lead his side against Edinburgh on Friday night as the Johannesburg outfit attempt to navigate an emotionally demanding United Rugby Championship tour of Scotland.
The Lions have been dealing with the sudden death of lock Hyron Andrews, who died at the team hotel last Friday, a day before their first Champions Cup fixture against La Rochelle. The players chose to honour their team-mate by playing in France and must now complete matches against Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors before returning home.
Horn missed the defeat by La Rochelle with an Achilles niggle but returns at eighthman, prompting changes to the back row. Rising talent Batho Hlekani joins Sikhumuzo Notshe, who moves from the back of the scrum to the flank.
Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg is rested after a demanding spell with the national team and Lions. Nico Steyn starts at nine, with Zian Cilliers providing cover from the bench. Hooker PJ Botha and loose forward Siba Mahashe also come into the matchday squad.
Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys acknowledged the difficulty of preparing for Friday’s encounter while processing their loss.
“To say it was a rough week is probably an understatement, but the support we received from almost everyone was huge,” he said.
Redelinghuys praised the response from the wider rugby community, saying the respect shown by the players, coaches, management and supporters had helped the squad find some closure.
“The sorrow everyone felt, and the way it was handled, felt authentic,” he said. “That gave us, to a big extent, some closure.”
The Lions will hope to draw strength from that support as they return to the field, with Andrews’s memory still central to their tour.
Lions starting XV: Quan Horn, Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk, Bronson Mills, Erich Cronje, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, Francke Horn, Batho Hlekani, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Ruan Delport, Etienne Oosthuizen, Conraad van Vuuren, Morne Brandon, Boan Venter
Bench: PJ Botha, SJ Kotze, RF Schoeman, Dylan Sjoblom, Siba Mahashe, Ziaan Cilliers, Richard Kriel, Boeta Chamberlain.
