Cape Town - In an move not in keeping with the modern trend of late, Springbok and Lions fullback Andries Coetzee has committed his services to the Johannesburg union for another 12 months.
As players depart South African shores en masse seeking greener - and more lucrative pastures abroad - Coetzee has bucked the trend and put pen to paper on an extension of his contract until the end of the 2020 Super Rugby season.
The Lions also confirmed in a press release on Thursday that promising 21-year-old lock Reinhard Nothnagel will make Gauteng his home until at least the end of the 2021 season.
Coetzee, 29, has played 13 Tests for South Africa.
Coetzee will don his usual No 15 jersey for Saturday's Super Rugby clash against the Stormers at Ellis Park, while Nothnagel has been named on the bench.
Kick-off is at 17:15.
The Lions, who have contested the past three Super Rugby finals, are struggling this campaign, and find themselves in fourth spot in the South African Conference, only ahead of the bottom-placed Stormers by virtue of having one more match.
Teams:
Lions
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Courtnall Skosan, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Shaun Reynolds, 9 Ross Cronjé, 8 Kwagga Smith (captain), 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 Cyle Brink, 5 Marvin Orie, 4 Stephan Lewies, 3 Carlü Sadie, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Dylan Smith
Substitutes: 16 Jan-Henning Campher, 17 Sti Sithole, 18 Johannes Jonker, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Marnus Schoeman, 21 Hacjivah Dayimani, 22 Nic Groom, 23 Tyrone Green
Stormers
TBA
