Lions coach
PRO14 Rainbow Cup SA opener against the
Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
With regular skipper Elton Jantjies loaned to French club Pau, the Lions need a new captain for the event and this week centre
Dan Kriel takes the captain s armband.
With Jantjies in France,
Fred Zeilinga takes the No 10 jersey and will partner Andre Warner at halfback.
The Lions team boasts a nice mixture of youth and experience, with the best example in the front row where props Sti Sithole and Jannie du Plessis pack down with young hooker PJ Botha. The first round of the northern leg was extremely exciting and a great showcase of high-quality rugby. We are excited about the start of the Rainbow Cup SA this weekend. It s great for the fans to see the future of southern and northern hemisphere rugby, Van Rooyen said.
Surprisingly, it s only the second time they ve reached the showpiece match of the hallowed tournament since 2009.
In a match where fears over how Pretoria s stifling heat would affect the rhythm of contest were realised, Jake White s troops superior composure and game-management proved telling against neighbours who were simply far too ambitious for the occasion and conditions.
The Bulls laid the foundation for their victory in a bizarre first-half, which stretched to 53 minutes due to a litany of breaks in play, where they made sure the few times they did work themselves into the Lions half, they scored points.
Excellent tackling and the shrewd tactics of veteran flyhalf Morne Steyn hallmarks of the hosts play.
Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
Jake White is drawing on his experience in French rugby to help his Bulls navigate the potential minefield of going into the Currie Cup semis as the team that finished top of the log.
As the Bulls director of rugby notes, finishing top and not having much game time going into a playoff can become a stumbling block.
In terms of their game plan, the Bulls don t plan on going into their shell for the clash against the Lions.
While the four Currie Cup semi-finalists almost equal lack of game-time going into this weekend s round of playoffs is undeniably a leveller for all, Jake White is hoping to draw on his experiences in the French Top 14 previously to help his Bulls navigate the minefield.
Granted, conditions in the City of Roses were ideal for regular point-scoring, but head coach Ivan van Rooyen will be truly chuffed with the manner in which this win was achieved.
Criticised as underpowered and unbalanced in the last two seasons - playing an attacking game that lacks the necessary grunt up front - the Lions showcased a new, compelling side to their play.
Five tries confirmed that they haven t lost their attacking edge though it was notable that they used power and precision instead of excessive flair.
The Lions were dominant in the set-pieces, monoplising possession and providing themselves with additional momentum by acing the collisions.