50 up for Francke Horn as Lions host indomitable Leinster

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Still in the hunt for a play-off spot, the side from Doornfontein is well aware of the challenges the next few weeks will bring but are hoping the support from Joburg will push them towards that goal.

Ahead of Leinster, former Springbok centre and now Lions defence guru Jaque Fourie says being back home after three weeks on the road is an opportunity for players and management to reset and focus on the upcoming task.

“We were disappointing against Ospreys and Benetton but we are back home now and we needed to reset ourselves,” the World Cup winner told the Lions website.

“There are no second chances and making the top eight is non-negotiable. To do that we need to win all our home games and we need consistency – in terms of how we want to play and what our brand is – we need to get that right every week.”

Fourie went on to say that his side are not really concerned about which side Leinster fields on the day amid speculation that the Irish outfit travelled to South Africa with their second stringers.

“They will be well prepared and whichever team they field will be a big challenge for us,” he said.

“If you have a look at the game we played last season, I think with 10 minutes to go we were still ahead and the second-string guys that they brought just came back and won that game,” said Fourie.

“They have such good depth in their squad, so it doesn’t matter what team they bring. Most of their second-string guys would walk into any other first team in this competition. So the squad they have got is really strong.”

In team news, try machine Francke Horn runs out for the 50th time for his franchise in international competitions and will have fond memories from last season’s clash where he had an immense solo performance.

Upfront, Morgan Naude gets a start with Springbok Ruan Dreyer occupying the tighthead spot. Asenathi Ntlabakanye returns from suspension to provide cover in the front row. Elsewhere, Sibusiso Sangweni returns to the matchday 23 as cover for Hanru Sirgel who is recovering from a concussion. Centre Henco van Wyk returns from injury and takes a spot as one of the backline impact players alongside Jordan Hendrikse and Nico Steyn.

Kick-off at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday is at 15:00.

Lions – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Marius Louw (c), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Sanele Nohamba, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Emmanuel Tshituka, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 PJ Botha, 1 Morgan Naude

Replacements – 16 Jaco Visagie, 17 JP Smith, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Sibusiso Sangweni, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Henco van Wyk