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Two Muir College old boys from Uitenhage will have key roles to play for the Southern Kings on Friday night at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium. Lock Darron Nell will captain the team and Shane Gates is at inside centre for the first leg of the promotion/relegation playoffs against the Lions.
With regular captain Andries Strauss out injured, outside centre Ronnie Cooke takes over the vice-captaincy. New Zealander Hadleigh Parkes returns on the right wing and SP Marais at fullback. The pack has a familiar look to the one which has performed so well this season.
Coach Alan Solomons describes the playoffs as unique to South African rugby and the consequences for the losers as dire. There will be no Super Rugby until at least 2016 for the team that loses the two-legged playoffs with the second leg at Ellis Park in Johannesburg on 3 August. Solomons believes that on the back of a ground breaking first year in Super Rugby, his men have what it takes to stay in the competition.
