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Cape Town - The Highlanders will be without star scrumhalf Aaron Smith for Saturday’s match against the Lions in Dunedin.
Kick-off is at 09:35 SA time.
According to the Stuff website, it will be the first of two matches the All Blacks scrumhalf is required to sit out before the three-Test series against France in June. As a result, Kayne Hammington will make his second start of the season at No 9.
Flank Dillon Hunt is also being rested, with James Lentjes wearing the No 7 openside jersey for the first time in 2018.
The Highlanders lost 38-12 to the Sharks in Durban last Saturday, while the Lions went down 28-19 to the Hurricanes in Wellington.
The Lions, who will name their team later on Thursday, have only beaten the Highlanders once in Dunedin, way back in 2011.
The Lions, who are top of the
South African Conference with six wins and five losses, will go into the
match without star Springboks hooker Malcolm Marx, who injured his
hamstring against the Hurricanes and is expected to miss six weeks of action.
The Highlanders are third in the New Zealand Conference with six wins and three defeats from their nine matches to date.
Teams:
Highlanders
15 Ben Smith (captain), 14 Waisake Naholo, 13 Rob Thompson, 12 Tei Walden, 11 Tevita Nabura, 10 Lima Sopoaga, 9 Kayne Hammington, 8 Luke Whitelock, 7 James Lentjes, 6 Elliot Dixon, 5 Tom Franklin, 4 Alex Ainley, 3 Tyrel Lomax, 2 Liam Coltman, 1 Daniel Lienert-Brown
Substitutes: 16 Ash Dixon, 17 Aki Seiuli, 18 Kalolo Tuiloma, 19 Josh Dickson, 20 Marino Mikaele-Tu’u, 21 Josh Renton, 22 Josh Ioane, 23 Sio Tomkinson
Lions
TBA
