Lions centre Marius Louw has regained the captaincy ahead of their United Rugby Championship clash against Munster at Thomond Park in Limerick on Saturday night kick-off 935am. Louw, who missed the team's first match of the season, has played in the next four games, starting once against Zebre in Parma last month. During his absence, eighthman Francke Horn led the team, and although Horn remains in the starting lineup, Louws return to the captaincy suggests he will feature more regularly in the starting XV.
The Lions will also see WJ Steenkamp, a former Bulls utility forward who joined in the off-season, make his debut at flank. He will join Horn and Jarod Cairns in a powerful loose trio. Kade Wolhuter continues as the starting flyhalf, while Louw partners Henco van Wyk in midfield, and Quan Horn remains at fullback. Off the bench, Reinhard Nothnagel and JC Pretorius will look to make an impact, along with back replacements Sanele Nohamba, Tapiwa Mafura, and Erich Cronje.
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen is anticipating a tough challenge from Munster, who are currently 13th on the table and have suffered three straight losses. He expects the match to be their toughest of the season so far, acknowledging Munster's quality, especially at home in Limerick, and their competitive performance against the All Blacks XV earlier this month. Van Rooyen emphasized the need for clinical play and discipline to succeed, but expressed excitement after two weeks of preparation.
Munsters coaching setup has also undergone a change, with Ian Costello stepping in as interim head coach after Graham Rowntrees departure by mutual consent. Van Rooyen believes the coaching shake-up will motivate Munster, a proud European team.
Lions XV
- Quan Horn
- Richard Kriel
- Henco van Wyk
- Marius Louw c
- Edwill van der Merwe
- Kade Wolhuter
- Morne van den Berg
- Francke Horn
- WJ Steenkamp
- Jarod Cairns
- Ruan Delport
- Ruben Schoeman
- Asenathi Ntlabakanye
- PJ Botha
- Juan Schoeman
