Botha, who captained the team in their last three matches, suffered a serious knee injury in the semi-final win over Boland and is not expected to return before January.

It means the front-rower will also miss a significant part of the Lions' Vodacom URC campaign.

Coach Mziwakhe Nkosi indicated that several players are under consideration to assume the captaincy in Botha's absence, including Quan Horn, Chris Smith, and WJ Steenkamp, all of whom have made strong leadership impressions. Loose forward Francke Horn is unavailable due to injury.

Morne Brandon is expected to start at hooker, having replaced Botha during the semi-final, while Franco Marais is available again after recovering from a recent illness.

The Lions will announce the full team and confirmed captain for Saturday's Currie Cup final on Friday.

READ MORE: Currie Cup Final: One change for Griquas as they head into Lions' den

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