There’s a new look to the Pumas lineup selected for Friday night’s Currie Cup match against the Vodacom Bulls in Nelspruit.
The Pumas lost 10 players who formed part of their squad last season, including captain Pieter Jansen van Vuren, who joined the Lions for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
This forced Jimmy Stonehouse to rebuild his team and the coach has done so with aplomb by recruiting former Junior Boks and Bulls flyhalf Thinus de Beer and Robbie Petzer, who previously played for the Cheetahs.
Other newly signed players are scrumhalf Lucky Dlepu, who featured for the Sharks in the Currie Cup final against the Bulls in September last year, wing Lundi Msenge who earned his call-up to the Pumas squad based on his form for UWC in the Varsity Cup and fiery lock Malembe Mpofu, who was given a Pumas contract based on his Varsity Cup form in 2021.
All five those new recruits have been included in the Pumas’ match-day squad for Friday’s showdown against the Bulls.
Pumas – 15 Devon Williams, 14 Tapiwa Mafura, 13 Sebastain de Klerk, 12 Robbie Petzer, 11 Lundi Msenge, 10 Thinus de Beer, 9 Giovan Snyman, 8 Willie Engelbrecht (c), 7 Khwezi Mafu, 6 Daniel Maartens, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Shane Kirkwood, 3 Ignatius Prinsloo, 2 Eduan Swart, 1 Corne Fourie.
Subs: 16 Llewellyn Classen, 17 Ruan Kramer, 18 Simon Raw, 19 Malembe Mpofu, 20 Phumzile Maqondwana, 21 Lucky Dlepu, 22 Eddie Fouche, 23 Alwayno Visagie.
