Venter slots in at lock for Lions despite father's death, Horn back at No 8

Ruan Venter will start at lock for the Lions against Glasgow Warriors despite the passing of his father earlier in the week.

Venter moves to lock for Saturday's clash at Ellis Park, with coach Ivan van Rooyen shaking up his loose trio. No 8 Francke Horn returns after undergoing ankle surgery in December, which sees Emmanuel Tshituka move to blindside flank.

Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys lauded Venter's decision to play, despite the family bereavement.

"It is very noble of him to still put himself up for selection after what happened," Redelinghuys told reporters.

"The boys will pull together to make it a good day for him as well."

15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Manny Rass, 12 Marius Louw (captain), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Emmanuel Tshituka, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Ruben Schoeman, 4 Ruan Venter, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 JP Smith

Substitutes: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Rynhardt Rijnsburger, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Ruhan Straeuli, 21 Morne van de Berg, 22 Rynhardt Jonker, 23 Andries Coetzee

READ | Sharks unleash dynamic duo on Ulster, but Fassi's attacking sting missed

Redelinghuys acknowledged that Alberts "deserves" a rest.

The scrum guru added that Horn was the preferred No 8 before his injury against the Dragons late last year.

"He adds a fair bit to our attack on the edges and our set-piece. With Manu (Tshituka), he likes to get stuck into the thick of things."

The backline sees only one change, with Sanele Nohamba starting at scrumhalf ahead of Morne van den Berg, who drops down to the bench.

Saturday's clash at Ellis Park kicks off at 16:10.