Horn at fullback for Lions

The Emirates Lions have shifted rising star Quan Horn back to fullback as they prepare for an onslaught against Irish side Connacht in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match on Saturday night.

Horn becomes one of three changes to the team that beat the Dragons and secured qualification to the playoff rounds of the EPCR Challenge Cup last weekend. The match is the Lions’ fourth on tour in as many weeks before returning home.

Andries Coetzee drops down to the bench with Stean Pienaar coming into the starting line-up to claim the wing spot.

In the loose trio flanker Sibusiso Sangweni gets his start at openside while the rest of the team that survived a second-half onslaught by the Dragons remains the same, including the Lions' new stealth winger JP Smith, who sparked their first-half dominance last Saturday.

Smith will pack down in the front row with PJ Botha, who moves back into the starting line-up and Asenathi Ntlabakanye.

Jaco Kriel drops down to the bench, in the place of Ruhan Straeuli, who drops out of the match 23 altogether, while JC Pretorius is also out of the 23 as the Lions opted to go for a traditional five-three bench with Mannie Rass coming back into the reserves.

Your Emirates Lions team to face Connacht this Saturday evening at The Sportsground in Galway for Round 13 of the @URCOfficial_RSA.

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??: @URCOfficial_RSA
??: Sat, 28 Jan
?: 21:35
??: The Sportsground#LionsPride??@Vodacom | #URC | #UnitedWeRise pic.twitter.com/CSr8SSG7ah

— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) January 27, 2023

Emirates Lions: Quan Horn; Stean Pienaar, Henco van Wyk, Marius Louw (captain), Edwill van der Merwe; Jordan Hendrikse, Andre Warner; Emmanuel Tshituka, Emile van Heerden, Sibusiso Sangweni, Darrian Landsberg, Willem Alberts, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, PJ Botha, JP Smith.

Replacements: Michael van Vuuren, Morgan Naude, Pieter Jansen van Vuren, Jaco Kriel, Morne van den Berg, Mannie Rass, Andries Coetzee