Lions bench Springboks for crunch URC clash

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen has dropped two capped Springboks from his team’s starting lineup for Saturday’s URC encounter against Connacht in Galway.

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In the final fixture of the team’s four-week tour of Europe and the UK, the Lions will play their first-ever game at The Sportsground, Connacht’s famed stadium in Galway, Ireland.

A win there will move the Lions closer to a spot in the United Rugby Championship playoffs and Van Rooyen has picked his side accordingly.

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Flanker Sibusiso Sangweni, wing Stean Pienaar and hooker PJ Botha come into the starting XV.

Sangweni and Botha replace Springbok Jaco Kriel and Michael van Vuuren, respectively, in the forward pack.

In the back division, Springbok Andries Coetzee is also relegated to the bench, with Pienaar taking up position in the back three. Pienaar will play on the wing and Quan Horn moves from out wide to fullback.

The match between the Lions and Connacht at the Sportsground kicks off at 21:35 tomorrow night, SA time. And it will be broadcast on SuperSport in South Africa.

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LIONS TEAM TO FACE CONNACHT IN URC:

Lions — 15 Quan Horn, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 André Warner, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Emile van Heerden, 6 Sibusiso Sangweni, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha , 1 JP Smith.
Subs: 16 Michael Van Vuuren, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 20 Jaco Kriel, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Manual Rass, 23 Andries Coetzee.