Hendrikse back at pivot for Lions in must-win Dragons clash

The Lions are boosted by the return of flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse for their European Challenge Cup clash against Dragons in Newport, Wales on Sunday.

Hendrikse has recovered from the ankle strain he suffered against Munster two weekends ago.

This is a must-win clash for coach Ivan van Rooyen and his troops as they aim to secure a top six finish in Pool B of the Challenge Cup and a spot in the Round of 16.

Hendrikse partners with Andre Warner, who gets his chance as the starting scrumhalf with the nuggety Morne van den Berg providing cover on the bench. 

Elsewhere, hookers Michael van Vuuren and PJ Botha swap jersey numbers, with the former getting an opportunity in the starting XV.

"We can take confidence from the fact that we have not lost to the Dragons in our last three encounters across all competitions," forwards coach Albert van den Berg said on Friday ahead of the fourth meeting between the sides.

"If you look at our recent games, one of the things we can work on is limiting our unforced errors, coupled with decision-making at crucial times.

"We tend to do a lot playing but don’t get the points for it. So, if we can change that, then we increase our chances of a positive result. Dragons are a good side who’ve shown good improvement, so we need to be sharp come Sunday afternoon."

Kick-off is at 15:00. 

Lions:

15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Quan Horn, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Marius Louw (c), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Andre Warner, 8 Emmanuel Tshituka, 7 Emile van Heerden, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Michael van Vuuren, 1 JP Smith 

Substitutes: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Morgan Naude, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Pieter Jansen van Vuuren, 20 Ruhan Straeuli 21 JC Pretorius, 22 Morne van den