Francke Horn is strapping back on the captain’s armband for the Lions as they square off against Zebre in Parma this Sunday. Fresh from shaking off a calf injury, Horn’s return is touted as the much-needed adrenaline shot for the Johannesburg squad, especially after a rough start losing to Cardiff. Coach Cash van Rooyen isn’t just crossing his fingers; he's shaking things up with five new game faces in the starting lineup.
The No. 8 stalwart Horn is taking over the reins from fullback Quan Horn, who isn't straying too far, fortifying the back three with Angelo Davids and newbie Eduan Keyter. Keyter is making a splash in his Lions debut, hoping to chew up the turf like he did with the Sharks. In the pivot position, Chris Smith shakes off a concussion cobweb or two to reclaim his flyhalf spot, demoting Lubabalo Dobela to benchwarmer. Smith will sync up with Nico Steyn, who's holding down the fort at scrumhalf.
The pack sees a shake-up with RF Schoeman bulldozing in as tighthead prop, giving Springbok Asenathi Ntlabakanye a bit of a breather on the bench. Franco Marais and SJ Kotze are the cornerstone of the front row, while the second row sees Ruan Delport pairing up with the come-back kid, Etienne Oosthuizen. The loose trio is a mix of muscle and hustle with Ruan Venter and Renzo du Plessis flanking captain Horn.
"We’ve got to iron out the kinks if we want to keep our heads above water,"
noted a Lions spokesperson about the upcoming match.On the infirmary list are Juan Schoeman, PJ Botha, and a few others nursing various nicks and knocks, while Morne van den Berg misses out due to national duty.
Zebre, on the other hand, is riding high after a nail-biting 31-28 win over Edinburgh, clinched with a last-gasp penalty. The Lions are hoping their rejigged roster will be the right formula to tame the Italian stallions on their own turf.
LIONS – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Eduan Keyter, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Renzo du Plessis, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 Franco Marais, 1 SJ Kotze. Bench: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Heiko Pohlmann, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 WJ Steenkamp, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Lubabalo Dobela, 23 Rynhardt Jonker.