Hooker Mike Willemse will captain the Kings’ 27-man squad during their two-game Pro14 tour of Wales and Ireland.
Coach Deon Davids announced his touring party on Monday and confirmed the 24-year-old Willemse’s appointment as team leader for the duration of the tournament.
The coach has opted to go with 15 forwards and 12 backs, of which 10 players were part of the Kings’ Super Rugby squad.
Loose forwards Dries van Schalkwyk and Rossouw de Klerk, formerly with Zebre and the Glasgow Warriors respectively, have also made the squad and will provide much needed experience in the Kings’ ranks.
‘There are always positives when you go on tour so early – you get to spend some time with the players individually, and the players also get to know each other better. So, there will be a lot of benefits from this tour,’ said Davids.
‘When we come back we will have 27 players who will have a good understanding of where we are and where we need to go. Players that are staying behind will have time to work on aspects of their game – whether it is conditioning or skills. When we get back we will suddenly have a larger pool of players we can work with.’
The Kings take on the Scarlets on Saturday afternoon and Connacht the following week.
Kings squad – Tango Balekile, Stephan Coetzee, Rossouw de Klerk, Bobby de Wee, Martin Dreyer, Schalk Ferreira, Khaya Majola, Siyabulela Mdaka, Andisa Ntsila, Luvuyo Pupuma, Victor Sekekete, Entienne Swanepoel, Dries van Schalkwyk, Jurie van Vuuren, Michael Willemse (c), Masixole Banda, Kurt Coleman, Ntabeni Dukisa, Rowan Gouws, Berton Klaasen, Godlen Masimla, Jacques Nel, Yaw Penxe, Sibusiso Sithole, Rudi van Rooyen, Luzuko Vulindlu, Oliver Zono.
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Photo: Gallo Images
