Kriel set for return against former club as Lions name side to face Zebre

Coach Ivan van Rooyen has made several changes to the starting XV for the match against the Italian side, with the most notable being in the midfield, where Marius Louw and Henco van Wyk will combine for the first time this season, having impressed with impactful performances off the bench in recent games.

Meanwhile, Richard Kriel makes his return from a three-month shoulder injury to face his former team, slotting into his familiar No 14 jersey on the wing.

Sanele Nohamba resumes his playmaker duties at flyhalf, while Morné van den Berg remains at scrumhalf.

In the forward pack, Conraad van Vuuren replaces Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who is sidelined due to a concussion, and Ruben Schoeman steps in for the injured Darrien Landsberg.

While Zebre have been the perennial whipping boys of the URC in recent years, they do boast a victory over Munster this season, so the unbeaten Lions will be wary of underestimating their Italian rivals.

"If we go in with a mindset it's going to be a walk in the park it will be big mistake," said Lions assistant coach Jaque Fourie.

"Zebre are a tough team, and they play for 80 minutes. It's a big challenge for us ahead of next week's match against Leinster, which will potentially be a top of the table clash, between two of only three unbeaten teams right now. So, itâ™s a big motivator to win this weekend."

Lions - 15 Quan Horn, 14 Richard Kriel, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Sanele Nohamba, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (c), 7 Jarod Cairns, 6 Johannes Pretorius, 5 Ruben Schoeman, 4 Reinhard Nothnagel, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Juan Schoeman.

Replacements: 16 Pieter Botha, 17 Heiko Pohlmann, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Renzo du Plessis, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Rynhardt Jonker/Erich Cronje, 23 Rabz Maxwane. 

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