Cash reveals the Lions' future
TEAM ANNOUNCEMENT: Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen selected a new-look midfield pairing ahead of his team’s final United Rugby Championship match of the season.
Matt More and Henco van Wyk will start against the Dragons in Newport this Saturday.
Manuel Rass will provide cover from the bench.
Influential lock forward Reinhard Nothnagel wears the captain’s armband in a fixture where the Johannesburg-based outfit will look to finish on a high.
Exciting loose forward Jarod Cairns and gifted tighthead prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye could make an appearance from the bench.
Earlier this week, the Lions’ mentor stressed the need to look ahead, and his team’s final URC fixture is the ideal opportunity to explore new combinations.
“As mentioned last week, it gives us an opportunity as a franchise to cast our eye towards the future, and we believe that this group will form part of that core,” Van Rooyen said
“There will be a few guys in the matchday 23 who will be relishing the opportunity to make a name for themselves against international opposition.
“In saying that, Dragons will be a tough outfit to play at a vibrant Rodney Parade.
“We’ve planned and trained well this week so the guys we’ll be up for it come Saturday,” the coach added.
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Matt More, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Sibusiso Sangweni, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel (captain), 4 Ruan Venter, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Jaco Visagie, 1 Jean-Pierre Smith.
Replacements: 16 Pieter Botha, 17 Sithembiso Sithole, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Ruben Schoeman, 20 Jarod Cairns, 21 Andre Warner, 22 Manuel Rass, 23 Tiaan Swanepoel.
Date: Saturday, May 21
Venue: Rodney Parade, Newport
Kick-off: 15.00 (16.00 SA time; 14.00 GMT)
Referee: Joy Neville (Ireland)
Assistant referees: Dewi Phillips (Wales), John Darcy (Wales)
TMO: Ian Davies (Wales)
