Ospreys ring changes for Lions as Edwards starts

Wales fly-half Dan Edwards will makes his first appearance of the season when he lines up for Ospreys against Lions for the United Rugby Championship (URC) game in Johannesburg on Saturday (12:45 BST).

Ospreys head coach Mark Jones has made 12 personnel changes from the side that lost 41-24 to Sharks in Durban with flanker Liam Wright, full-back Iestyn Hopkins and wing Tom Rogers the only survivors.

Australian flanker Wright, who scored a try on his competitive debut, has been given the Ospreys co-captaincy role alongside wing Keelan Giles.

Starting chances are also given to Gareth Thomas, Efan Daniel, Rhys Henry, Huw Sutton, Ryan Smith, Harri Deaves, Morgan Morse, Kieran Hardy, Keiran Williams and Evardi Boshoff.

The South African side suffered only one defeat at home last season and opened their campaign with a 27-26 home victory against reigning champions Leinster

Lions also hold the bragging rights against Ospreys having fallen to only one defeat in their previous five league meetings, which was in 2024 in Swansea.

Lions: Chamberlain; Mpeke, Adams, Kriel, Cronje; Smith, Steyn; Venter, Both, Lombard, Oosthuizen, Delport, Pretorius, Qoma, F Horn (capt)

Replacements: Brandon, Kotze, Schoeman, Andrews, Mahashe, Sjoblom, M van der Berg, Q Horn.

Ospreys: Hopkins; Rogers, Boshoff, K Williams, Giles (co-capt); Edwards, Hardy; G Thomas, Daniel, Henry, Sutton, Smith, Wright (co-capt), Deaves, Morse.

Replacements: L Lloyd, C Jones, Warren, R Davies, Moriarty, Morgan-Williams, Creighton, L Morgan.

Referee: Fillipo Russo (FIR)

Assistant referees: Griffin Colby (SARU), Dylen November (SARU)

TMO: Gianluca Gnecchi (FIR).