Head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi has named a relatively unchanged Lions 23 to face the Sharks at Ellis Park in the Currie Cup on Saturday.
The Jaco Visagie-led Pride are fresh from an incredible come-from-behind 41-26 win over the Griffons last week and are hoping to take that momentum into this weekend’s clash against the men for Durban.
Hat-trick hero scrumhalf Nico Steyn retains his place in the starting XV after a riveting 11-minute blitz of tries last week, while Sibusiso Sangweni, PJ Steenkamp and Jarod Cairns form a formidable loose trio. On the bench, Matt More comes in for backline cover.
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Ready for a rivalry like no other. Your Fidelity ADT Lions team to face the Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park, this Saturday.
? Cell C Sharks
?: @TheCurrieCup
?: Saturday, 1 April
⏰: 15:30
?️: https://t.co/nv9iR6Bifd
?: Emirates Airline Park#LionsPride? pic.twitter.com/UFepi1TGqJ— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) March 31, 2023
“The half-time chat last week was the changing point for us because we knew we needed to be better. Getting those points places us in a position where we can now build,” Visagie said.
“I think physically we are certainly not far off at all. With more game time and time spent together, we can make an impact on all facets of our game especially when it comes to starting well.”
Looking ahead to the Sharks, Visagie believes a high-paced game could put the opposition under pressure this week: “Key for this week for us is to pick up the tempo and with that, keep ball in hand. I think we can put them under pressure if we speed up the game and eliminate small mistakes. In other words, avoiding a stop-start approach to the game.”
Ready for a rivalry like no other. Your Fidelity ADT Lions team to face the Cell C Sharks at Emirates Airline Park, this Saturday.
? Cell C Sharks
?: @TheCurrieCup
?: Saturday, 1 April
⏰: 15:30
?️: https://t.co/nv9iR6Bifd
?: Emirates Airline Park#LionsPride? pic.twitter.com/UFepi1TGqJ— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) March 31, 2023
Photo: Gavin Barker/BackpagePix