Scrumhalf Ross Cronjé and centre Howard Mnisi will co-captain the Golden Lions against the Pumas at Ellis Park on Saturday.

In the absence of regular squad leaders Warren Whiteley and Jaco Kriel, who are away on Springbok duty with seven other senior Lions players, Cronjé and Mnisi will share the captaincy responsibilities throughout the Currie Cup campaign.

Jaco van der Walt will start at flyhalf with Sylvian Mahuza at fullback, with Koch Marx and Anthony Volmink on the wings and Stokkies Hanekom in midfiled with Mnisi.

In the pack, Ruan Ackermann will play No 8 with Cyle Brink and Steph de Wit on the side of the scrum. Martin Muller and Lourens Erasmus are the locks. The front row sees hooker Akker van der Merwe start alongside props Corné Fourie and Jacques van Rooyen.

Golden Lions – 15 Sylvian Mahuza, 14 Koch Marx, 13 Stokkies Hanekom, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Ruan Ackermann, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Steph de Wit, 5 Lourens Erasmus, 4 Martin Muller, 3 Jacques van Rooyen, 2 Akker van der Merwe, 1 Corné Fourie.
Subs: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 Justin Ackerman, 18 MB Lusaseni, 19 Victor Sekekete, 20 Dillon Smit, 21 Marnitz Boshoff, 22 Jacques Nel.

Photo: Lee Warren/Gallo Images