A number of senior players are back in the frame, as are a few new recruits, who joined the union in the off season.
With the Lions in fourth place on the Currie Cup Premier Division points table, the coaches are taking no chances with just one round of regular season matches remaining after Saturday’s big derby against the Bulls at Ellis Park (kick-off 3pm).
A win for the Lions will improve their chances of making the top four and the semi-finals, while a defeat will put them in danger of missing the playoffs.
For this reason, United Rugby Championship head coach Ivan van Rooyen has joined Currie Cup coach Mziwakhe Nkosi in guiding the team this week and together they’ve decided to bring in some much-needed experience to bolster the side.
URC power
Picked to play in the Currie Cup for the first time this season are Springboks Quan Horn (fullback) and Ruan Venter (flank), while new recruits Chris Smith (flyhalf) and Eduan Keyter (wing) are also in the mix.
Rising centre star Henco van Wyk has also been drafted into the side, as has impressive Junior Springboks scrumhalf Haashim Pead, who’ll fill a spot on the bench. There are a number of other senior, URC players also back in the squad.
“We were obviously disappointed with last week’s result despite the valiant effort by the guys to come back, it certainly was not a performance we were proud of,” said Nkosi about the 47-31 defeat by the Cheetahs.
“This week is a different story in the sense that we need to start and finish well against the Bulls who are also desperate to get points and stay in the race for the play-offs,” he added.
Integration of seniors
The Bulls are also in a scrap to make the top four; they’re currently in sixth position.
“We will use the next few rounds, certainly the next two, and hopefully the knockout stages to introduce a large part of the URC group in preparation for the intercontinental tournament that will start immediately after the Currie Cup,” explained Nkosi.
“They have been hard at work with Ivan and his management with preparations. The upcoming games are a great opportunity for those guys to get battle hardened and still push hard for a place in the semis and hopefully the final.”
Lions: Quan Horn, Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk, Richard Kriel, Angelo Davids, Chris Smith, Nico Steyn, WJ Steenkamp, Ruan Venter, Jarod Cairns, Ruan Delport, Dylan Sjoblom, RF Schoeman, PJ Botha, SJ Kotze. Bench: Franco Marais, Juan Schoeman, Sebastian Lombard, Darrien Landsberg, Tian Wessels, Haashim Pead, Sam Francis, Eduan Keyter
