Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies has been cleared to face the Blues at Ellis Park on Saturday, while Malcolm Marx and Julian Redelinghuys return to the starting XV.
Jantjies passed a fitness test after picking up a minor knee injury in the Lions’ last game and will be able to take up his place at flyhalf. Marx has recovered from a neck injury, while Redelinghuys has overcome a wrist sprain, with the Lions able to revert to their regular front-row combination.
In other changes, Ross Cronjé gets the nod ahead of Faf de Klerk at scrumhalf, while Rohan Janse van Rensburg will partner Lionel Mapoe in the midfield as Howard Mnisi moves to the bench.
Lions – 15 Jaco van der Walt, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Warren Whiteley (c), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith.
Subs: 16 Akker van der Merwe, 17 Corné Fourie, 18 Jacques van Rooyen, 19 Ruan Ackermann, 20 Cyle Brink, 21 Faf de Klerk, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Sylvian Mahuza.
Photo: Anne Laing/HSM Images