Lions scrumhalf Morné van den Berg will his 100th match for the Lions against Edinburgh on Saturday.
Image: BackpagePix
Morné van den Berg is set to play his 100th match for the Lions when they host Edinburgh at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Springbok scrumhalf, who made his debut in 2019, has grown from strength to strength and has been a regular member of Rassie Erasmus’ squad since the 2023 World Cup.
The Lions have also been boosted by the return of key forwards for the match against Edinburgh, which marks the start of a four-match home run. The Lions currently have their playoff fate in their own hands, starting the weekend in seventh place in the United Rugby Championship table.
After winning the SA Shield following a victory over the Stormers in their previous match, they can make huge strides in their quarter-final bid with a string of good results at home.
Springboks Ruan Venter and Asenathi Ntlabakanye are back after missing the match against the Stormers, with Venter recovering from concussion and Ntlabakanye available again after a family bereavement.
In the backline, Erich Cronjé moves from centre to the left wing following an injury to the influential Kelly Mpeku.
The Lions have decided to go with a 6-2 bench split, with Batho Hlekani and Renzo du Plessis covering the loose forward positions.
Lions team for Edinburgh
15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Erich Cronjé, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Eddie Davids, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Richard Kriel.