Lions captain Francke Horn will be looking to lead his side get a win against table-topping Glasgow Warriors at Ellis Park.
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The Lions are having their best-ever season in the United Rugby Championship, but we will have a better idea of just how good they are after Saturday’s clash at Ellis Park with the table-topping Glasgow Warriors (4pm).
The Scots were also champions two seasons ago and have the best attack in the competition under South African coach Franco Smith, while the Lions are handily placed in fifth spot.
The Lions have a good chance at a venue where they hammered the Warriors the last time they visited, with the score of 44-21 flattering the losers. However, the last time the teams met was in Glasgow last year, and Glasgow won that one 42-0.
It is likely to be a lot closer on Saturday, and since the Warriors lost at Ellis Park in 2024, they beat the Bulls in a final up the road in Pretoria. That would suggest they have the altitude factor under control.
A victory for the Lions would be a huge boost to their hopes of finishing in the top eight for the first time in history.
The Lions know they need to bank wins in their final two home games — next week they host Connacht — before heading to Ireland for their two-game tour against Irish giants Leinster and Munster. They do not want the pressure of having to beat those tough Irish sides to qualify for the playoffs.
Glasgow coach Smith highlighted the Lions’ threats and how his team hopes to nullify them.
“The Lions pose one of the toughest away tests in the URC, defending a strong home record as they chase a place in the play-offs.
“Their brand of rugby can cause problems for any team, with a blend of physical forwards and backs that can run the ball from anywhere on the field.
“It is a test that we have prepared for in training this week, and one that we know we must be at our best to meet.”
Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher said the Warriors have their full attention.
“The focus is on Glasgow and our processes,” he said. “Once you start thinking about needing a certain number of points, you lose sight of what’s in front of you.”
“When we lost heavily to them in Glasgow, they just played us off our feet,” he said. “It is part of their DNA — they want to play with a lot of tempo, speed things up and go for quick rucks.”
“They’re not going to go away from their DNA,” he said. “We expect them to come here and try to play with tempo again. So you’ve got to be there for 80-plus minutes, be in the moment and alert, because they want to speed up the game.
“So for us it’s really about momentum – stopping theirs, and making sure we get momentum on attack.”
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Angelo Davids, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Erich Cronje, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Edward Davids, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Nico Steyn, Kelly Mpeku
Glasgow Warriors: 15 Josh McKay, 14 Kyle Rowe, 13 Huw Jones, 12 Stafford McDowall (captain), 11 Fergus Watson, 10 Dan Lancaster, 9 Jack Oliver, 8 Jack Dempsey, 7 Sione Vailanu, 6 Euan Ferrie, 5 Alex Samuel, 4 Jare Oguntibeju, 3 Fin Richardson, 2 Seb Stephen, 1 Rory Sutherland Replacements: 16 Gregor Hiddleston, 17 Nathan McBeth, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Dylan Cockburn, 20 Ryan Burke, 21 Angus Fraser, 22 Ben Afshar, 23 Sione Tuipulotu