An incredibly emotional evening awaits at the Stade Marcel Deflandre as the Lions step onto the pitch to open their Investec Champions Cup campaign against two-time champions La Rochelle.
The match takes on a deeply poignant significance following the tragic passing of 31-year-old lock Hyron Andrews on tour in France. In a testament to brotherhood and unity, the Lions squad collectively opted to go ahead with the fixture to play in honour and memory of their beloved teammate. A moment’s silence will be observed before kick-off across all European cup fixtures this weekend.
Key Match Info
- Match: Stade Rochelais vs Lions
- Date & Time: Saturday, 17 October 2026 | Kick-off at 18:30 (SA Time)
- Venue: Stade Marcel Deflandre, La Rochelle
- Referee: Sam Grove-White
- TV Broadcast: SuperSport
Team Lineups
Lions XV
- Starting Lineup: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Erich Cronjé, 10 Chris Smith (c), 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Siba Qoma, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Conraad van Vuuren, 2 Morné Brandon, 1 Boan Venter.
- Replacements: 16 Tiaan Lange, 17 SJ Kotze, 18 RF Schoeman, 19 Dylan Sjoblom, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Nico Steyn, 22 Richard Kriel, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.
La Rochelle XV
- Starting Lineup: 15 Sacha Elissalde, 14 Tevita Ofa, 13 Semi Lagivala, 12 Jules Favre, 11 Davit Niniashvili, 10 Antoine Hastoy, 9 Valentin Bouju, 8 Grégory Alldritt (c), 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Theo McFarland, 5 Watisoni Waqanisaravi, 4 Charles Kante Samba, 3 Karl Sorin, 2 Pierre Bourgarit, 1 Alexandre Kaddouri.
- Replacements: 16 Tolu Latu, 17 Louis Penverne, 18 Aleksandre Kuntelia, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Paul Boudehent, 21 Matthias Haddad, 22 Dillyn Leyds, 23 Avakuki Niusalelekitoga.
