The Emirates Lions named their side for their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Irish powerhouse Leinster with a tinge of bad news.
Reinhard Nothnagel, who led the side at the start of the season, underwent successful surgery on his cheekbone and will be out for the rest of the season.
Nothnagel’s length of absence has not been defined as more than “a few months” but it is likely he will only return in the new season.
With both Ruan Venter and Rabz Maxwane picking up head knocks last weekend in Glasgow and being ruled out as part of their return to play protocols, young Ruan Delport and winger Stean Pienaar have been drafted in their places.
Delport will get his first start in the URC while young prop Rhynhardt Rijnsburger also gets a maiden start in the tournament.
Darrien-Lane Landsberg returns to the bench for the Lions as lock cover.
The Lions will be looking to get a victory over the unbeaten Leinster side and thereby try and keep their hopes of making the playoffs alive.
Emirates Lions: Quan Horn, Stean Pienaar, Manuel Rass, Marius Louw (Captain), Edwill van der Merwe, Gianni Lombard, Sanele Nohamba, Francke Horn, Ruan Delport, Jaco Kriel, Ruben Schoeman, Willem Alberts, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, PJ Botha, Rhynhardt Rijnsburger.
Replacements: Morne Brandon, JP Smith, Ruan Dreyer, Darrien Landsberg, Travis Gordon, Morne van den Berg, Rynhardt Jonker, Andries Coetzee