Lions coach
PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA opener against the
Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
With regular skipper Elton Jantjies loaned to French club Pau, the Lions need a new captain for the event and this week centre
Dan Kriel takes the captain's armband.
With Jantjies in France,
Fred Zeilinga takes the No 10 jersey and will partner Andre Warner at halfback.
The Lions team boasts a nice mixture of youth and experience, with the best example in the front row where props Sti Sithole and Jannie du Plessis pack down with young hooker PJ Botha.
"The first round of the northern leg was extremely exciting and a great showcase of high-quality rugby. We are excited about the start of the Rainbow Cup SA this weekend. It's great for the fans to see the future of southern and northern hemisphere rugby," Van Rooyen said.