Junior Boks scrumhalf Haashim Pead will make his senior debut for the Lions in Saturday’s Currie Cup clash with the Vodacom Bulls at Ellis Park.
Pead lit up this year’s World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, scoring six tries and breaking French superstar Antoine Dupont’s pool-stage record by running 232m from just 15 carries. Now the 20-year-old gets his first taste of senior provincial rugby.
Pead’s call-up comes in a week of off-field drama at Ellis Park.
On Thursday, Rugby365 reported that Lions’ URC head coach Ivan van Rooyen had been handed control of the Currie Cup side for the rest of the tournament, replacing head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi, who had opted to return to the junior teams rather than assist Van Rooyen.
However, on Friday, the Lions said the team for Saturday had been selected by both Nkosi and Van Rooyen, in an apparent U-turn.
The match 23 includes Springboks Quan Horn (fullback) and Ruan Venter (flank), new recruit Chris Smit at flyhalf and wing Eduan Keyter on the bench.
Pead, meanwhile, is named among the replacements.
PAIGE: Pead ticks all the boxes
LIONS – 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Richard Kriel, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smit, 9 Nico Steyn, 8 WJ Steenkamp, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jarod Cairns, 5 Ruan Delport, 4 Dylan Sjoblom, 3 RF Schoeman, 2 PJ Botha (c), 1 SJ Kotze.
Bench: 16 Franco Marais, 17 Juan Schoeman, 18 Sebastian Lombard, 19 Darrien Landsberg, 20 Tian Wessels, 21 Haashim Pead, 22 Sam Francis, 23 Eduan Keyter.
Photo: Lions Rugby
The post Lions unleash Pead at last appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Junior Boks scrumhalf Haashim Pead will make his senior debut for the Lions in Saturday’s Currie Cup clash with the Vodacom Bulls at Ellis Park.
The post Lions unleash Pead at last appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
