JOHANNESBURG - The Lions were forced to make one change to their starting XV for Saturday's clash against the Bulls at Emirates Airline Park (kick-off 3.30pm) in Round 4 of the Rainbow Cup South Africa.
Len Massyn is welcomed back into the team, replacing Francke Horn, who has not recovered suitably enough after rolling his ankle in the Lion's narrow loss to the Stormers last week. Elsewhere, Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen has kept his faith in teenager Jordan Hendrikse to once again marshall the backline against the Bulls, leaving veteran Fred Zeilinga on the bench for a second successive week. It is an unsurprising move, as the 19-year-old had an impressive outing last weekend, and was named Man of the Match for his performance.
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Also returning to the matchday squad is utility-back Manuel Rass, who will get his first taste of competitive rugby this season when he comes off the bench, the 23-year-old rotating places with Dan Kriel. Van Rooyen has opted for consistency in every other position, and will be hoping that his team can finally overturn a three-game losing streak when they face the table-topping Pretoria-based side.
Former Bulls captain, Burger Odendaal, will once again skipper the Lions.
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Emirates Lions vs Vodacom Bulls: EW Viljoen; Rabz Maxwane, Wandisile Simelane, Burger Odendaal (captain), Courtnall Skosan; Jordan Hendrikse, André Warner; Len Massyn, Vincent Tshituka, MJ Pelser, Reinhard Nothnagel, Ruben Schoeman, Carlu Sadie, Jaco Visagie, Sti Sithole.
Replacements: PJ Botha, Ruan Dreyer, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Willem Alberts, Emmanuel Tshituka, Morné van den Berg, Fred Zeilinga, Manuel Rass
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IOL Sport