Get Newsletter

Whiteley to lead Lions

It will be the Johannesburg-based side's first appearance in a Super Rugby Final since Transvaal won the Super 10 in 1993.

ADVERTISEMENT

Whiteley is back in the starting line-up, while Ruan Ackermann and Lourens Erasmus have been included on the bench, together with Ross Cronjé.

Saturday's Final promises to be a special occasion with 36,500 fans packed into Westpac Stadium.

Both teams come into the match after convincing semifinal wins.

The Hurricanes scored three tries in beating the Chiefs 25-9 in Wellington, while the Lions beat last year's champions the Highlanders 42-30 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg.

The Hurricanes are appearing in their third Final, a decade after their ill-fated first attempt in the Christchurch fog of 2006, and their second consecutive one at home – after losing to the Highlanders in Wellington last year.

The Lions are playing in their first Final since they 1995 – when they (playing as Transvaal) lost to Queensland. Transvaal beat Auckland in the 1993 Super 10 Final, the first Super Rugby competition involving South African teams.

ADVERTISEMENT

The Lions are seeking to become the first South African winners of the competition since the Bulls claimed the last of their three titles in 2010.

Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Ruan Combrinck, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Rohan Janse Van Rensburg, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Francois de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Andries Ferreira, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylon Smith.

Replacements: 16 Armand Van Der Merwe, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Jacques Van Rooyen, 19 Lourens Erasmus, 20 Ruan Ackermann, 21 Ross Cronje,, 22 Howard Mnisi, 23 Jaco van der Walt.

Date: Saturday, August 6

Venue: Westpac Stadium, Wellington

Kick-off: 19.35 (09.35 SA time; 07.35 GMT)

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)

Assistant referees: Angus Gardner (Australia), Ben O'Keeffe (New Zealand)

TMO: Ben Skeen (New Zealand)

Whiteley to lead Lions

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Write A Comment