Nell leads strong-looking Kings

The Kings have named their side that will take on the Lions in Port Elizabeth for the first leg of their promotion-relegation play-off.

The Kings have named their side that will take on the Lions in Port Elizabeth for the opening leg of their promotion-relegation play-off this Friday.

Darron Nell leads the XV in a strong-looking pack that includes Jacques Engelbrecht, Wimpie van der Walt and Cornell du Preez in the back-row.

New Zealander Hadleigh Parkes starts on the right wing while Demetri Catrakilis and Shaun Venter are the Kings' half-back combination.

The Kings finished bottom of the South African conference in their debut season, meaning they face this two-legged showdown with the Lions.

Next week's game will be in Johannesburg.

Kings: 15 SP Marais, 14 Hadleigh Parkes, 13 Ronnie Cooke, 12 Shane Gates, 11 Marcello Sampson, 10 Demetri Catrakilis, 9 Shaun Venter, 8 Jacques Engelbrecht, 7 Wimpie van der Walt, 6 Cornell du Preez, 5 David Bulbring, 4 Darron Nell (capt), 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 Schalk Ferreira.
Replacements: 16 Charl du Plessis, 17 Hannes Franklin, 18 Steven Sykes, 19 Devin Oosthuizen, 20 Nicolas Vergallo, 21 George Whitehead, 22 Waylon Murray.

Date: Friday, July 26
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Port Elizabeth
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Peyper
Assistant referees: Jason Jaftha, Sindile Mayende
TMO: Deon van Blommestein