Lions still have some Super power
Ackermann has included six players who featured in last weekend's Super Rugby Final – ahead of their opening Currie Cup encounter, with the Pumas at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Andries Coetzee, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Howard Mnisi, Dylan Smith, Corné Fourie and Lourens Erasmus were all part of the Lions side who went down 3-20 to the Hurricanes in Wellington last Saturday.
The Lions is set to begin the defence of their title they won last year.
The team will be without of their nine key players that were called up for Springbok in the Rugby Championship.
Warren Whiteley, Francois de Klerk, Ruan Combrinck, Malcolm Marx, Julian Redelinghuys, Lionel Mapoe, Elton Jantjies, Franco Mostert and Jaco Kriel are all in the international duty.
Flank Warwick Tecklenburg has already departed for Japan, where he will play for the rest of the year – before returning for Super Rugby in 2017.
After the Rugby Championship Whiteley, Mapoe, Jantjies and Kriel will also take up contracts with Japanese clubs.
Mostert is set to leave the union for a full-time contract with French Pro D2 outfit Lyon, but the Lions are in a tug-of-war with the French outfit – trying to get their Bok lock out of his contract.
Ruan Dreyer, Robert Kruger and Harold Vorster are all still injured and will miss the entire Currie Cup season.
However, Jano Venter – who is also injured – might become available later in the season.
Lions squad:
Forwards: Dylan Smith, Corné Fourie, Jacques van Rooyen, Pieter Scholtz, Justin Ackerman, Armand van der Merwe, Ramone Samuels, Robbie Coetzee, Luvuyiso Lusaseni, Lourens Erasmus, Bobby de Wee, Jean-Pierre du Preez, Cyle Brink, Steph de Wit, Ruaan Lerm, Fabian Booysen, Victor Sekekete, Albertus Smith, Ruan Ackermann, Andries Ferreira .
Backs: Ross Cronjé, Dillon Smit, Marco Janse van Vuren, Marnitz Boshoff, Jaco van der Walt, Ashlon Davids, Courtnall Skosan, Anthony Volmink, Selom Gavor, Koch Marx, Sylvian Mahuza, Andries Coetzee, JW Bell, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Howard Mnisi, Nicolaas Hanekom, Jacques Nel.
