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Centurions square off in front-row battle at Emirates Airline Park

Connacht prop Jack Aungier and Lions hooker PJ Botha will reach significant milestones this Saturday. Photo: Getty Images.

Lions hooker PJ Botha and Connacht tight-head Jack Aungier will reach 100 appearances for their respective sides when they meet in the United Rugby Championship at Emirates Airline Park this Saturday.

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The fourth-placed Lions would cement their place in the play-offs with a win, while Connacht are hunting down a place in the top eight.

Stuart Lancaster’s side are in ninth, but only one point off the pace after coming away from Cape Town last week with a shock 33-24 win over the Stormers.

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Botha, 28, has put in a decade-long stint at the Lions, as understudy to Malcolm Marx and the recently retired, Jaco Visagie, and says the time has flown by.

“When I was still at school, I thought it would be nice to maybe play one or two matches for a franchise in an international competition,” he joked.

“To now reach 100 is incredible. The time has flown. It’s a privilege for me to reach this milestone, and I’m grateful that it will happen in a home match.”

Aungier, 27, joined Connacht from Leinster in 2020, and now becomes the 43rd player to reach the landmark milestone for the Irish province. His inclusion is one of 10 changes from the side that stunned the Stormers last week.

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Lions team:

1. SJ Kotze
2. PJ Botha (100th)
3. Asenathi Ntlabakanye
4. Ruan Venter
5. Darrien Landsberg
6. Siba Mahashe
7. Batho Hlekani
8. Francke Horn (c)
9. Morne van den Berg
10. Chris Smith
11. Erich Cronje
12. Richard Kriel
13. Henco van Wyk
14. Angelo Davids
15. Quan Horn

Replacements
16. Morne Brandon
17. Eddie Davids
18. Sebastian Lombard
19. Reinhard Nothnagel
20. Siba Qoma
21. JC Pretorius
22. Nico Steyn
23. Kelly Mpeku

Connacht team:

1. Peter Dooley (63)
2. Dylan Tierney-Martin (73)
3. Jack Aungier (99)
4. Niall Murray (94)
5. Joe Joyce (53)
6. Cian Prendergast (101) (C)
7. Shamus Hurley-Langton (63)
8. Paul Boyle (134)
9. Colm Reilly (34)
10. Jack Carty (233)
11. Shane Jennings (33)|
12. Hugh Gavin (16)
13. John Devine (5)
14. Harry West (9)
15. Sam Gilbert (14)

Replacements
16. Matthew Victory (7)
17. Billy Bohan (11)
18. Fiachna Barrett (9)
19. Darragh Murray (56)
20. Sean Jansen (43)
21. Matthew Devine (30)
22. Sean Naughton (15)
23. Shayne Bolton (34)

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