Fidelity ADT Lions head coach said that Asenathi Ntlabakanye is not suspended and that he has been training with the squad over the past two weeks.
“Asa will start for us this weekend,” said head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi.
“He’s been formally charged by the South Africa Institute for Drug-Free Sport (SAIDS) but not suspended, the Currie Cup mentor explained.
“In the interim, he is a contracted rugby player at the Lions, so he must play. Importantly, however, we have chatted to him, and he is emotionally comfortable to play on Saturday- in fact, he is the vice-captain of the team. There is a lot of backing for Asenathi starting right at the top from our Chairman, CEO, management and players.”
Speaking ahead of the occasion, Nkosi says his team is upbeat ahead of their consecutive final.
“It’s a Currie Cup final and both teams will be positively optimistic. We are proud of the fact that it’s our second final in a row since 2014 and 2015, so there’s a lot to be said for that. We are certainly looking forward to it, especially with the good week of training we’ve had.”