Lions' youth policy for Currie Cup opener
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: The Golden Lions will field a very young, but exciting, team when they host the Pumas in the opening round of the Currie Cup.
The Lions will field a backline with just one player older than 24 – scrumhalf and captain Ross Cronje 29.
The second oldest backline player is 24-year-old flyhalf Shaun Reynolds.
The rest are all 22 or younger.
It is a similar story up from.
Veteran loose forward Marnus Schoeman, 30, is the only player in the pack older than 25.
Loosehead prop Dylan Smith is the 25-year-old, with the rest 24 and younger.
The backline features bright prospects like Tyrone Green and Wandisile Simelane, with 20-year-old Vincent Tshituka one of the new breed of forward coming through at Ellis Park.
Golden Lions: 15 Tyrone Green, 14 Madosh Tambwe, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 Wayne van der Bank, 11 Stean Pienaar, 10 Shaun Reynolds, 9 Ross Cronje (captain), 8 James Venter, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Rhyno Herbst, 3 Johannes Jonker, 2 Jan-Henning Campher, 1 Dylan Smith.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Jansen, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Len Massyn, 21 Dillon Smit, 22 Manuel Rass, 23 Jan-Louis la Grange.
Date: Saturday, July 13
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT)
Referee: Rasta Rasivhenge
Assistant referees: Jaco Pretorius, Eduan Nel
TMO: Lesego Legoete
