The Lions will have a new skipper for Saturday’s Currie Cup final against Griquas at Ellis Park.
Coach Mziwakhe Nkosi confirmed that hooker PJ Botha, who has led the team in their last three matches, has been ruled out after suffering a serious knee injury in the semi-final win over Boland.
Botha, who left the field early in the playoff, is not expected to return before December and will also miss the start of the Lions’ Vodacom URC campaign.
We’ve got a couple of candidates,” said Nkosi on Wednesday. “Quan Horn is one of them. Chris Smith is also one of them. He has made a real impression from a leadership point of view. WJ Steenkamp has also made an impression, so we have one or two options.
“We will make up our minds in the next day or two. We’ve got to make sure the leadership group is one that can also take [head coach Ivan van Rooyen] and his United Rugby Championship group forward.”
Another captaincy candidate, loose forward Francke Horn, is injured.
Morné Brandon is expected to wear the No 2 jersey in the final after replacing Botha during the semi-final, with Franco Marais also available again after falling ill last Saturday.
The team will be named on Friday.
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Throwback Thursday
Reliving some classic Currie Cup final tries that still give us goosebumps.
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— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) September 18, 2025
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