Nearly six weeks since his last rugby match, Lions flyhalf Elton Jantjies will start in Saturday’s Currie Cup match against the Blue Bulls in Pretoria.
The Lions announced on Wednesday that the young pivot, one of 23 players released by Springbok team management this week, would pair up with former Leopards scrumhalf Michael Bondesio.
Bondesio was promoted to the starting XV — with Rudy Paige taking his place on the bench — after regular number nine Jano Vermaak announced earlier in the week that he would join the Bulls for next year’s Super Rugby competition.
The pair were set to be joined in the Lions’ run-on team by wing Lionel Mapoe who missed last week’s match because of a knee injury.
Loosehead prop JC Janse Van Rensburg would start ahead of Patric Cilliers in the fourth and final change to the side that secured a 53-36 victory over the Leopards last week.
On the bench, eighthman Warren Whiteley and fullback Jaco Taute were included in the team after recovering from injury.
Lions team: Michael Killian, Deon van Rensburg, Waylon Murray, Alwyn Hollenbach, Lionel Mapoe, Elton Jantjies, Michael Bondesio, Joshua Strauss (captain), Derick Minnie, Cobus Grobbelaar, Franco van der Merwe, Wikus van Heerden, Jacobie Adriaanse, Bandise Maku, JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: Martin Bezuidenhout, Patric Cilliers, Michael Rhodes, Warren Whiteley, Rudy Paige, Burton Francis, Jaco Taute.
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