Marnus Schoeman will start his first Currie Cup game for the Pumas in over a year when they face Griquas in Mpumalanga this Friday.

Head coach Jimmy Stonehouse has kept the team relatively similar to the one that won the Rugby Challenge, with Hennie Skorbinski retaining the captaincy.

Schoeman, who enjoyed a successful stint with the Lions, will play alongside Stefan Willemse and No 8 Willie Engelbrecht in the loose trio.

Stefan Ungerer and Chris Smith, who started in the Rugby Challenge final, are again preferred as the halfback pair, while Neil Maritz, JP Lewis and Gerrit Smith start as the back three.

Pumas – 15 Gerrit Smith, 14 JP Lewis, 13 Ryan Nell, 12 Hennie Skorbinski (c), 11 Neil Maritz, 10 Christopher Smith, 9 Stefan Ungerer, 8 Willie Engelbrecht, 7 Stefan Willemse, 6 Marnus Schoeman, 5 Cameron Lindsay, 4 Le Roux Roets, 3 Marné Coetzee, 2 Simon Westraadt, 1 Kwezi Mona.
Subs: 16 Frankie Herne, 17 Andrew Beerwinkel, 18 Hugo Kloppers, 19 Jeandré Rudolph, 20 Reynier van Rooyen, 21 Justin van Staden, 22 Trompie Pretorius.

Photo: Dirk Kotze/Gallo Images