Currie Cup: Nkosi names strong Lions squad for trip to the Cheetahs

Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi has named a strong squad for their Currie Cup trip to the Cheetahs at Free State Stadium on Saturday. 

In some of the key team news, flyhalf Kade Wolhuter makes a timely return after recovering from injury and Morgan Naude starts at loosehead prop with regular captain Jaco Visagie back to lead the side. 

Tiaan Wessels gets a starting opportunity in the No 8 jersey, while Asenathi Ntlabakanye, JC Pretorius and Marius Louw have been added to the squad to provide impact from the bench. “Our fixture in Bloemfontein against the Cheetahs promises to be a spectacle all things considered,” said Nkosi.  

“No doubt they’ll be smarting from their result last week but, having said that, our performance was far from perfect even though we were happy with the result and the five points. 

“We’ve had an opportunity to remedy a few things of concern for us. We’re travelling with confidence to walk away with a positive result. It’s getting to the business end of the competition and these next couple of rounds are critical in terms of the standings and the fight for the play-offs. We hope to put our best foot forward and ensure we’re at the races come that time.” 

This weekend’s action starts with the Bulls hosting the Griquas at Loftus on Friday night and on Saturday the Sharks visit Western Province at the Cape Town Stadium. Welkom will be battle ground on Sunday when the Griffons host the Pumas to round off this weekend’s action as the tournament has entered the business end with less room for error.