Former Junior Springbok stars crack nod in Lions midfield

Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi has named his team for Wednesday afternoon's Currie Cup clash against the Pumas in Nelspruit.

The line-up includes former Junior Springbok stars Tyler Bocks and James Mollentze in midfield, as well as the return from injury of exciting back Ngia Selengbe, who starts on the bench.

Asenathi Ntlabakanye, who has spent time with the Lions' United Rugby Championship team, takes the captain's armband to lead a pack which features powerhouse lock PJ Steenkamp. Sasko Ndlovu, also a national representative at junior level, gets his first start of the competition.

"We have a second bite at the cherry against the Pumas," Nkosi said.

"The biggest message to our guys in our preparations is that we need to match them physically from a set piece point of view as well as on go-forward ball.

"We're quite excited about the team we've selected. If you look at the makeup of the side, it's guys who've put up their hands and are now being duly rewarded. The key thing now is to get a bit of synergy and play as a team."

The Lions have lost all six of their Currie Cup games and sit bottom of the standings, while the Pumas are fifth with two wins from six games.

"It's been a challenging season for us from a Currie Cup perspective. Our depth has been tested week in and week out, but despite that, it's afforded opportunities for some of our players from the Varsity Cup to put their hands up and stake their claim in senior rugby," Nkosi concluded.

Wednesday's clash at Mbombela Stadium kicks off at 15:30.

Pumas

15 Tapiwa Mafura, 14 Sebastian de Klerk, 13 Alwayno Visagie, 12 Eddie Fouche, 11 Jade Stighling, 10 Tinus de Beer, 9 Chriswill September, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (captain), 7 Anele Lungisa, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Shane Kirkwood, 4