Exciting young centre Wandisile Simelane has been picked to start in the No 13 jersey for the Lions when they take on the Rebels in a round six Super Rugby match in Melbourne on Saturday.
It will be Simelane’s first start of the 2020 season after previously playing off the bench.
Also in the starting team for the first time this year is veteran 35-year-old loose-forward Willem Alberts. The former Springbok star returned to Joburg and the Lions at the end of last year after spending the last eight years playing for, first, the Sharks, and then Stade Francais.
Simelane takes the place of Manny Rass, while Alberts comes in for the injured Vincent Tshituka.
The other change to the Lions starting team that lost to the Waratahs in Sydney last week is at hooker where Pieter Jansen returns in place of Jan-Henning Campher.
On the bench, back-up flyhalf Shaun Reynolds should make his first appearance of the new season, while wing Courtnal Skosan and prop Jannie du Plessis are also back after missing out last week.
The Lions have so far won one and lost three matches in this year’s competition and after this Saturday’s match still play the Blues and Highlanders before returning home.
Saturday’s match kicks off at 10.15am (SA time).
Lions:
Andries Coetzee, Tyrone Green, Wandisile Simelane, Dan Kriel, Jamba Ulengo, Elton Jantjies (capt), Andre Warner, Len Massyn, Willem Alberts, Marnus Schoeman, Marvin Orie, Ruben Schoeman, Carlu Sadie, Pieter Jansen, Dylan Smith. Replacements: Jan-Henning Campher, Sti Sithole, Jannie du Plessis, Wilhelm van der Sluys, Hacjivah Dayimani, Morne van den Berg, Shaun Reynolds, Courtnall Skosan