Cash now holding Mziwakhe's hand?
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: In what can best be described as a media tap dance, the Lions confirmed, at least in part, a report that United Rugby Championship head coach Ivan van Rooyen has taken control of the Currie Cup team.
Having already been seen, on more than one occasion, hovering in the background to the obvious frustration of Nkosi, Van Rooyen is now coaching ‘alongside’ the Currie Cup mentor.
This follows a revelation by @rugby365com that the Lions management has decided to parachute Van Rooyen in to take charge of the Currie Cup team.
‘Lions head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi, alongside URC head coach Ivan van Rooyen, have selected a new-look 23 as his side welcomes [their] neighbours [the] Bulls to Ellis Park for Round Six of the Currie Cup,’ the Lions started their team announcement.
‘With one eye firmly focused on play-off ambitions in the Currie Cup as well as the international season starting in just under a month, Currie Cup mentor Nkosi in tandem with URC head coach Ivan van Rooyen, has, in their matchday-23, selected a strong group which includes Springboks Quan Horn and Ruan Venter as well as recruits Chris Smith and wing Eduan Keyter.
‘Junior Springboks superstar Haashim Pead is also in line for his senior debut.’
“We were obviously disappointed with last week’s result [the loss against the Cheetahs] despite the valiant effort by the guys to come back, it certainly was not a performance we were proud of,” said Nkosi.
“This week is a different story in the sense that we need to start and finish well against [coach] Phiwe [Nomlomo] and his Bulls side who are also desperate to get points and stay in the race for play-offs,” he added.
“We will use the next few rounds, certainly the next two, and hopefully the knockout stages to introduce a large part of the URC group in preparation for the intercontinental tournament that will start immediately after the Currie Cup.
“They have been hard at work with Ivan and his management on preparations.
“The upcoming games are a great opportunity for those guys to get battle hardened and still push hard for a place in the semis and hopefully the Final,” he concluded.
Lions Rugby Company CEO Rudolf Straeuli stressed the importance of alignment and cohesion towards success in all domestic competitions his teams are involved in.
“With the commencement of the SA Rugby Cup [junior competitions] as well the Currie Cup nearing the business end, there will be amalgamation of management teams and particularly that of Mziwakhe’s in his capacity as Head Coach of Currie Cup and Development Rugby and a large part of his management teams who have both served in the Currie Cup as well as the junior teams in a similar fashion to the previous season,” Straeuli explained.
“Van Rooyen, in his capacity as URC head coach alongside his management, will play a more pronounced role with the introduction of these players,” he concluded.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smit, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 WJ Steenkamp, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 PJ Botha (captain), 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Tian Wessels, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Sam Francis, 23 Eduan Keyter.
Date: Saturday, August 30
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT)
Referee: Sean Muller
Assistant referees: Phumzile Mbewu, Caleb Hibbert
TMO: Egon Seconds
