Nothnagel to lead Lions in derby duel

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Skipper Reinhard Nothnagel returns to the Lions starting XV for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash against the Sharks at Kings Park on Friday.

Nothnagel will partner Springbok and former Sharks bruiser Willem Alberts in the second row as centres Rynhardt Jonker and Marius Louw also pair up to face their ex team, while PJ Botha is back in the No 2 jersey with Jaco Visagie as cover.

The Lions travel to Durban on the back of a four-match unbeaten streak at home in all competitions and will look to take that momentum into the SA derby.

Speaking earlier this week, Lions assistant coach Albert van den Berg emphasised the need for his troops to start well against the Durbanties, who are on a two-match winning run.

“Friday will be a good opportunity for us to show what we prepared for all week. We know what they are going to bring; they have a good overall kicking game, an exciting backline and a decent pack of forwards,” he said.

BY THE NUMBERS: Sharks vs Lions

“It will be important for us to start well, stay in the fight as long as possible and hopefully get the win.”

Van den Berg cautioned that while an unbeaten streak at home in the URC and Challenge Cup offers decent momentum, playing the Sharks on the road is a different challenge.

“We don’t want to dwell too much on the unbeaten run. The feeling is that we can improve on certain aspects of our game from both an individual and team perspective.,” he added.

“It’s going to be a tough for us against a well-coached Sharks side and while we take the confidence of not having lost in recent weeks, we won’t take this occasion for granted.”

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Photo: Andy Watts/INPHO/Shutterstock/BackpagePix

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Devin Hermanus