Currie Cup
Strauss to start for Lions
2011-09-06 12:55
Email | Print
Johannesburg - The Lions made three changes to the
side that beat the Pumas 34-20 to face Griquas in their Absa Currie Cup
match at Ellis Park on Friday evening.
Doppies la Grange returns
at outside centre, regular captain Joshua Strauss is fit and will lead
his side while Derrick Minnie will start at flank.
"Doppies is
just coming back to full fitness and it's important we give him the
ability to get his own game right," said coach John Mitchell.
"Joshua
fulfilled a lot of the captaincy duties while Doppies was injured which
has taken a little bit longer than we expected to recover, so it's just
important that Doppies can just get on with his game and not have to
worry about the captaincy.
"We freshened Derrick up last week,
while he had some mild concussion it was our design to manage him, he
takes a fair few hits as a seven (flank) and we'll also have to manage
Cobus Grobbelaar as well at some stage."
The injury to winger Lionel Mapoe against the Pumas will have come as a blow for the team.
"Lionel
will have an operation, it will be a shoulder reconstruction and it
will probably be around a four month job, it's unfortunate for him but
luckily we have good depth."
James Kamana also makes a return, to the bench after a long injury layoff.
"James broke his ankle against the Sharks in round seven or eight of Super rugby," Mitchell said.
"Willem Alberts, I think, cleaned him out at a breakdown."
"He's
done really well to get back, he played a whole weekend of sevens last
week and he's been fortunate to get back into the side as a result of
Lionel's injury."
Teams
Lions: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Doppies la Grange, 12 Alwyn Hollenbach, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Joshua Strauss (c), 7 Derrick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Wikus van Heerden, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg
Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 Jacobie Adriaanse, 18 Johan Snyman, 19 Michael Rhodes, 20 Warren Whitely, 21 Burton Francis, 22 James Kamana
Griquas:
TBA
* Click HERE for latest Currie Cup odds on BET.CO.ZA