Marx to lead Emirates Lions

2019-02-28

Malcolm Marx takes over the captaincy of the Emirates Lions on Saturday when they host the Vodacom Bulls in Vodacom Super Rugby at Emirates Airline Park.

The Springbok hooker shares the try-scoring record in Vodacom Super Rugby for the Lions with 27, with speedsters Courtnall Skosan and Lionel Mapoe.

The team for this weekend shows three changes in the starting line-up and one positional change: Rhyno Herbst is in for Marvin Orie (slight groin niggle), Aphiwe Dyantyi is in for Courtnall Skosan (rotational), Hacjivah Dayimani replaces Warren Whiteley (injured) and Ruan Combrinck moves from 11 to 14.

VODACOM SUPER RUGBY STATS

Elton Jantjies is set to come upon a still-rare milestone this weekend. The Lions flyhalf has scored 996 points across his Super Rugby career to date, sitting just four points shy of becoming the fifth player in the history of the competition to score 1,000 points. Dan Carter (1,708) holds the current record as the most prolific scorer in the competition, followed by Morne Steyn (1,449), Beauden Barrett (1,120), and Stirling Mortlock (1,036).

VITAL STATS ON MALCOLM MARX

Position: Hooker

Born: 13-07-1994 in Germiston

Height & Weight: 1.89m, 119kg

Super Rugby Caps: 56  |  Super Rugby Points: 135  |  Super Rugby Debut: 2014  |  Test Caps: 24

KICK-OFF TIMES AND TEAMS FOR SATURDAY

11:30 CAT: Xerox Golden Lions vs Valke (Supersport Challenge friendly)

Xerox Golden Lions vs Valke: Tyrone Green; Madosh Tambwe, Wandisile Simelane, Shaun Reynolds, Stiaan Pienaar; Gianni Lombard, Dillon Smit; Darrien-Lane Landsberg, Robert Kruger, James Venter, Reinhard Nothnagel, Ruan Vermaak, Chergin Fillies, Jan-Henning Campher, Nathan Mcbeth. Reserves: HP van Schoor/Tiaan van der Merwe/PJ Botha, Danie Mienie, Asenathi Ntlabakanye/Dohen Kiewit, Ruben Schoeman, MJ Pelser, PJ Steenkamp, Jo-Hanko de Villiers, Bradley Thain/Tinus Combrink, Eddie Fouche, Manuel Rass, Sylvian Mahuza

15:05 CAT: Emirates Lions vs Vodacom Bulls

Emirates Lions vs Vodacom Bulls: Andries Coetzee; Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Aphiwe Dyantyi; Elton Jantjies, Nic Groom; Hacjivah Dayimani, Marnus Schoeman, Kwagga Smith, Stephan Lewies, Rhyno Herbst, Carlu Sadie, Malcolm Marx, Dylan Smith. Reserves: Pieter Jansen, Sti Sithole, Frans van Wyk, Robert Kruger, Vincent Tshituka, Ross Cronje, Franco Naude, Courtnall Skosan.

Annemie Bester