Lions poised to name new captain ahead of final

THE Lions will name a new captain this week when they unveil their matchday 23 for the Currie Cup final against the Griquas on Saturday at Ellis Park (kickoff 3pm).

- MORGAN BOLTON

Hooker PJ Botha, who led the Joburgers in their semifinal rout of Boland Kavaliers, will miss the game due to a knee injury. That will surely see Franco Marias start in the No 2 jumper for the final, as Jaco Visagie is also battling injury.

Currie Cup coach Mzwakhe Nkosi, however, is confident that the team has a strong leadership core to call upon come the final, as he and the technical team ponder their skipper options.

“We've got a couple of candidates,” said Nkosi yesterday, at the Lions Awards at Ellis Park.

“Quan Horn is one of them. Chris Smith is also one of them. He has made a real impression from a leadership point of view. WJ Steenkamp has also made an impression, so we have one or two options.

“We will make up our minds in the next day or two. We've got to make sure the leadership group is one that can also take (head coach Ivan van Rooyen) and his United Rugby Championship (URC) group forward”