While the Sharks and Western Province struggle with hooker injuries and call-ups, the Lions welcome back after a long injury lay-off, Bandise Maku, to the starting fifteen against Western Province this weekend.
Maku comes into the team in place of Callie Visagie, who misses out due to some bruised ribs. In other good news for the Lions, Elton Jantjies’ release from Springbok duty means he gets a start with Butch James shifting one spot over to inside centre. Butch takes Waylon Murray’s spot, who is down with a knee injury.
There are a few changes to the bench as well, with Martin Bezuidenhout back and Deon Helberg taking the place of Guy Cronje.
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 JR Esterhuizen, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Butch James, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Joshua Strauss, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Jacobie Adriaanse, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg (captain)
Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Willie Britz, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Ross Cronje, 21 Deon Helberg, 22 Ruan Combrinck
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Not a bad team. It makes it tough for me to decide who to back on Superbru?
Lions
Geez, Guy Cronje cant keep a place on the bench for the Lions. Was anyone really concerned when he left the Sharks?
welcome back maku
It’s Elton Jantjies, not Jantjes. He’s not related to Conrad 😉
Well, to be fair… With Jantjies and James in the starting line-up they have 2 fly-halves already. I would have picked a center for the 21 jersey. Ross Cronje is the most talented of the twins though. Still sad he left us but on the bright side, it got Reinach closer to kicking Knock-on McLeod out of the starting line-up!
I had to go with the Lions for this match… 😕