The Lions finish their tour of Australasia with a visit to a South African stronghold in Australia.
Perth has a very large resident South African contingent, we can only hope they turn out in full support of the Lions.
Was last week a flash in the pan or was it finally the spark that the Lions needed?
Or will the Force continue their strong record against SA sides in Perth?
Venue: Subiaco Oval, Perth
Kick-off: 19:00 Local time, 13:00 SA time.
Referee: Paul Marks (Australia)
ARs: Ian Smith (Australia), Julian Pritchard (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
Western Force:
15 Drew Mitchell, 14 Scott Staniforth, 13 Ryan Cross, 12 James O’Connor, 11 Cameron Shepherd, 10 Matt Giteau, 9 Josh Valentine, 8 Tamaiti Horua, 7 David Pocock, 6 Matt Hodgson, 5 Nathan Sharpe (captain), 4 Sam Wykes, 3 Ben Castle, 2 Tai McIsaac, 1 Gareth Hardy.
Replacements:
16 Ben Whittaker, 17 AJ Whalley, 18 Pek Cowan, 19 Tom Hockings, 20 Richard Stanford, 21 Josh Tatupu, 22 Haig Sare.
Lions:
15 Earl Rose, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Henno Mentz, 10 André Pretorius, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Willem Alberts, 7 Ernst Joubert (captain), 6 Robert Kruger, 5 Anton van Zyl, 4 Jannes Labuschagne, 3 Lawrence Sephaka, 2 Hans van Dyk, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements:
16 Willie Wepener, 17 Gert Muller, 18 Franco van der Merwe, 19 Gerhard Mostert, 20 Todd Clever, 21 Chris Jonck, 22 Shandre Frolick.
Tweet
Come-on my Lions make me proud
Gonna be a big ask though without the likes of Baywatch,Ludik,Heinke and Fourie.
Go boys!
Come on Lions… I’m 0/1 on SB…please make it 0/2…
Go LIONS!!!
@blackshark – YNWA (Comment 2) : sorry – but my LMS future depends on the Lions losing here
@robdylan (Comment 3) :
A Lions win is good for the Sharks…so sorry mate…
@blackshark – YNWA (Comment 4) : I don’t see the Force hurting the Sharks’ semi changes any more than the Sharks are doing themselves
so this is one now…
seven nil to the Force already
try by Drew Mitchell
I wonder who Lugrunger is. In the previous game, the commentator mentioned Andre Venter a number of time.
These guys obviously don’t do their homework. It’s unprofessional and pees me off!
another try – this time to Giteau. 14-0
and now Joubert as carded as the Force are awarded a penalty try.
21-0
24-0. Lions’ discipline is terrible
How useless are the Lions????
No Sharks game this weekend……I feel empty inside
My LMS seems safe.
Not happy about this as though…
Cheers Loffie!
from KEO to YOU -ous
Boks lose Butch, Frans
Butch James will miss the British & Irish Lions tour while Frans Steyn will get his wish to play flyhalf – but not in South Africa.
French media confirm that Steyn has signed for Paris-based second division side Racing Metro, who have virtually secured their place in the Top 14. The year-long deal is reported to be the most lucrative ever for a South African player. Steyn will make the move to Paris after the Springboks’ end of year tour.
His negotiations with Racing was the worst kept secret in South African rugby and in recent months it became increasingly likely that Steyn would agree a deal.
A month ago Sharks coach John Plumtree told keo.co.za they were desperate to hold onto Steyn, but he was resigned to the fact that they would never be able to match what Racing was offering.
Steyn will play primarily in his preferred position of flyhalf for Racing. With Ruan Pienaar injured, Steyn has had an extended run at pivot for the Sharks, but has failed to shatter the widely held perception that he is better suited to inside centre – where the Sharks and Springboks see his future. He appears to be determined to prove he has the aptitude to play in the position.
James limped off in Bath’s Premiership match at the weekend and scans has subsequently confirmed that he has torn ligaments in his knee. He will be sidelined for an extended period.
This has created an unforeseen problem for Springbok coach Peter de Villiers, who keo.co.za understands would have included James in his squad for the British & Irish Lions series as back-up to Pienaar. James’s experience, gained over 36 Tests, as well as his goalkicking ability would have given De Villiers a solid insurance policy should Pienaar have lost form or sustained an injury.
De Villiers is known to be reluctant to invest in Steyn at flyhalf, and is likely to look to Peter Grant to fill the void left by James, while his admiration for Earl Rose, who has had limited game time for the Lions, will see him in the squad as the third flyhalf.
It now remains to be seen whether De Villiers continues to select Steyn given his strong stance on overseas based players, which has seen the likes of BJ Botha, CJ van der Linde and Joe van Niekerk (amongst a host of others) overlooked for Springbok selection.
By Ryan Vrede
try to Boshoff. 24-5
24-7
bonus point for the Force.
29-7
@robdylan (Comment 20) :
I guess you are still alive on LMS then…
@blackshark – YNWA (Comment 21) : I am well alive. The out-of-depth Shandre frolick has been carded and the Force have scored a 5th
34-7, then
Peter Grant wouldn’t be out of place in Durban.@barend (Comment 17) :
Woeful. Talk about one foot on the plane syndrome!
Lions seem to have no respect for the game, the laws, the rules, the basics…
i thank the lord i’m a sharks fan everyday and not a lions fan!!!
I am so tired of reporting on Steyn’s supposed move to France. Iw ill write about it again when I see him in their jersey.
Remember how accurate the stories were about Bakkies Botha signing…
41-7 now. embarrassing
48-12… one for me, one for you
@robdylan (Comment 30) : We gonna have to wait for another week to see a mass exodus on LMS
ANOTHER penalty try! 55-14
@Rahul (Comment 31) : well, of the 15 alive going into this round, 6 will definitely go through to the next
make that 7… Quinny’s default pick for this round will be the Western Force. Lucky
final csore 55-14. Force move up to 5th spot. Lions stay 12th
@robdylan (Comment 35) : i guess lions decided that 1 win overseas is more than sufficient
@rekinek (Comment 36) : groan
Eish, my newly adopted second team (based on a perceived willingness to “play”) just got whipped.
@Salmonoid (Comment 38) : it’s also my second team plus I live in the city of gold surrounded by given up supporters
@robdylan (Comment 29) :
With a capital “E”