Two Boks released, one Lions team suddenly stronger
Rassie Erasmus does not usually hand players back mid-tour. This week he made an exception. Quan Horn and Boan Venter have been released from the Springboks squad to play for the Lions against the All Blacks at Ellis Park on Tuesday, and Ivan van Rooyen has wasted no time putting both of them in his matchday 23.
Horn goes straight into the number 15 shirt. Venter sits on the bench, in line for a Lions debut after moving south from Edinburgh. The fixture closes out New Zealand’s run against South Africa’s United Rugby Championship sides, and the visitors have not lost yet on this trip. The Stormers, Bulls and Sharks all went down, and the Springboks followed them at the same ground on Saturday.
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Van Rooyen picks a full-strength look
Kelly Mpeku and Erich Cronje take the wings either side of Horn. Richard Kriel and Henco van Wyk pair up in midfield. Chris Smith gets the fly-half role with Nico Steyn inside him, the coach preferring Steyn’s experience to the form of Haashim Pead at scrum-half.
Francke Horn captains from number eight and packs down with Batho Hlekani and Siba Mahashe. Ruan Delport and Etienne Oosthuizen form the second row. SJ Kotze and Sebastian Lombard take the props’ jobs on either side of hooker PJ Botha.
Van Rooyen has gone with a 6-2 split on the bench, which tells you exactly where he expects this match to be decided. Venter provides front-row cover alongside Morne Brandon and RF Schoeman. Hyron Andrews and Sikhumbuzo Notshe, a five-cap Springbok back in South Africa after spells in England and France, could both make their first Lions appearance. So could Boeta Chamberlain, who has returned home from the Newcastle Red Bulls and is named among the backs with Pead.
One Lion stays behind
Morne van den Berg has not been released. The Lions scrum-half remains inside the Springboks camp and is a live option for the second Test against New Zealand on Saturday, which is presumably why Erasmus was willing to let Horn and Venter go in the first place.
Kick-off at Ellis Park is 19:10 local time, with Angus Gardner refereeing. The Lions have a Johannesburg crowd, a reinforced pack and an opponent that has not been beaten on South African soil in six weeks.
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