Who are the four rookies Swys is throwing into the Lion’s den?

Swys de Bruin insists it’s not a knee-jerk reaction to last week’s humbling at the hands of the Bulls, but the Lions coach has certainly caught the eye in promoting over half-a-dozen rookies for Saturday’s meeting with the Jaguares at Ellis Park.

Four players will be making their Super Rugby starting debuts with another three on the bench.

“I’m very excited. We got the names of the players we want to blood on a whiteboard in my office and at what stage,” De Bruin said on Thursday.

“It’s easy to say it’s rotational, but sometimes players lose form and then it’s ideal to pick others.”

But just who are the youngsters in the starting line-up tasked with getting the Lions’ season back on track?

WANDI SIMELANE (20, outside centre)

A talisman for the Junior Springboks, Simelane is so gifted that he can play anywhere in the backline.

He did a sterling job keeping the Baby Boks in contention in last year’s Under-20 World Championship on the wing, notably scoring a hat-trick of tries against Ireland.

But he admits to enjoying being closer to the action, where he can pull the strings more.

The No 13 jersey then is ideal.

FRANCO NAUDE (22, inside centre)

On loan from the Bulls, Naude provides a prominent thing lacking in the Lions’ admittedly skillful backline: size.

Standing 1.88m tall and weighing 102kg, the man from Pretoria is comfortably the biggest player at the back.

Naude has previously been compared to the burly Rohan Janse van Rensburg, who was very much a cult hero at Ellis Park for his direct running and ability to create momentum on attack.

He could easily prove the perfect foil to the more subtle talents of Simelane.

VINCE TSHITUKA (20, blindside flank)

Much like Naude, Tshituka provides balance to a loose trio missing the physicality of the still-recovering Cyle Brink.

One of the rare former pupils from Northcliff High to play top-level rugby, the imposing loose forward is blessed with height (1.95m) and will probably continue to develop a bigger physique as he gets older.

But in his few senior-level appearances, Tshituka has not only shown explosive agility, but also a willingness to tackle collisions head-on.

RUAN VERMAAK (20, lock)

It says much for the promise of Vermaak that he’s managed a run-on debut in week four of Super Rugby already.

Granted, Marvin Orie’s injury has made his passage a bit easier, but the former Monument pupil is still keeping a Springbok in Stephan Lewies on the bench.

Vermaak was unlucky to be part of a national Under-20 squad that featured heavyweight “name” locks in the Stormers’ Salmaan Moerat and Bulls’ Ruan Nortje, but some solid youth-level showings has raised his profile.

De Bruin even had enough faith in him to take him to Argentina in the first week of the campaign.

(Nathan McBeth, James Venter, Gianni Lombard and Tyrone Green are the rookies on the bench) 

Lions: Andries Coetzee, Sylvian Mahuza, Wandi Simelane, Franco Naude, Courtnall Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Ross Cronje, Kwagga Smith, Vince Tshituka, Marnus Schoeman, Rhyno Herbst, Ruan Vermaak, Carlu Sadie, Malcolm Marx (c), Dylan Smith. Bench: Pieter Jansen, Nathan McBeth, Frans van Wyk, Stephan Lewies, James Venter, Dillon Smit, Harold Vorster, Gianni Lombard/Tyrone Green.

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