Lions coach John Mitchell has selected an unchanged side to face the Reds this weekend, a rarity in this year’s Super Rugby campaign for any team, and the first in many weeks for the Johannesburg based side.
The Lions face a Reds team that will be pushing for five points in their own chase for the top of the Australian conference, while the Lions will be looking for their second victory this season which, should they pull it off, will not only be a remarkable upset, but will end the Reds’ hopes of a play-off spot.
Grant Hattingh, following his call up from the Varsity Cup, has made the 7 jersey his own, while his favoured position is lock, and is a third lineout option for the Lions, an area where they have been struggling this season.
Another youngster who has impressed so far this season is fullback Andries Coetzee, who continues to deliver outstanding performances, which should stand him in good stead should the Lions be tossed from Super Rugby and has to negotiate a new contract elsewhere.
Lions: 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Jaco Taute, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Joshua Strauss (captain), 7 Grant Hattingh, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Callie Visagie, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg
Substitutes: 16 Martin Bezuidenhout, 17 CJ Van der Linde, 18 Cobus Grobbelaar, 19 Jaco Kriel, 20 Tian Meyer, 21 Ruan Combrinck, 22 James Kamana
‘which should stand him in good stead should the Lions be tossed from Super Rugby and has to negotiate a new contract elsewhere.’
Stop perving on our players
on a more serious note .. man i dont think the Lions have any hope in Hell …
“Lions go for consistency”…..much to the delight of the Reds
@Salmonoid (Comment 2) :
We have been constantly crap for a while now …
@Zibbie (Comment 1) : Agree. I think the Lions will be crushed. Again..
Guess even John Mitchell can only do so much with a bunch of average players. A watered down Currie Cup is their limit I’m afraid.
@Zibbie (Comment 1) : Time to come over to the Dark (and White) side Zibbie!
No need for consistency, he can have a fieldplay with choosing “creatively” – won’t make a diffs anyway! Perhaps they should contemplate entertaining us with silly selections at silly positions!
@Ben (Comment 5) : what is actually freaking me out is that they have more or less the same players, the other SA teams too as in the CC – should they not at least be able to beat the SA teams?
@Ice (Comment 8) : To be fair they’ve had more than their fair share of injuries throughout this season.
@vanmartin (Comment 9) : jip its true, but surely a team with the same core who beat us convincingly should not be doing so badly? Its like trying to figure out how a fax machine work to me..
consistency and Lions in one sentence it can only mean one thing
i’d rather they be less consistent that way I mean.
@Ice (Comment 10) : perhaps it is like one day you know it’s right but the next you keep saying left
@Ice (Comment 8) : Sharks didn’t pitch for the final at all! We saw 2 weeks before the final what a full strength Sharks team can do against the Lions.
@Ben (Comment 13) : depleted Lions at that… But I’m sure u get what I’m trying to say.
@Ice (Comment 14) : Yes, but if the Currie Cup wasn’t watered down I seriously doubt the Lions would have topped the log and even have made it to the final.