Lions aim to further winning streak
The Lions will look to further their winning streak on Saturday.
The pressure will be on the DHL Stormers and Toyota Cheetahs in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition this weekend as they search for victories following winless Australasian tours, while the Vodacom Bulls will aim to extend their unbeaten run to five matches as they embark on their tour.
The Lions, meanwhile, will be hunting their fifth victory of the season against seven times champions, the Crusaders, while combined log-leaders, the Cell C Sharks, will enjoy a bye with the peace of mind that they will remain in the favourable position regardless of the weekend’s results.
The Vodacom Bulls will be the first domestic franchise to take the field on Saturday, when they line up against the Hurricanes at McLean Park in Napier. The Pretoria team has had a decent run against the New Zealand teams so far this season, with a victory against the Blues and a draw against the Chiefs. This week they face the added challenges of adapting to the vastly different time zone and recovering from the long journey to New Zealand. However, should they register a victory it would mark the first win by a South African side on tour this season.
This clash will be followed by an action-packed afternoon for South African fans with the Toyota Cheetahs hosting the Chiefs at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein at 15:00, and the DHL Stormers facing the Waratahs at DHL Newlands at 19:10.
Lions v Crusaders.
The Lions will be hunting their second victory against the Crusaders as a stand-alone franchise on Saturday after winning only one of their matches against the side since breaking away from the combined Cats franchise with the Free State in 2006. This victory was in 2007 at Ellis Park, where the Lions registered a 9-3 victory.
The match will be played at Ellis Park. The kick-off is at 17:05.
Since then they have suffered four successive defeats against the Christchurch side, all of which were by 10 points or more.
However, it remains to be seen what influence history will have on Saturday, as the Lions have experienced a good run of form this season with four victories in their first six matches. This has earned them the fourth spot on the combined log standings, while the Crusaders have won only two of their five matches so far and occupy 13th position on the standings.
The scrums, in particular, will be one of the main battles as the teams currently top the list for scrums won, both boasting a 91 per cent success rate.
If the Johannesburg team succeeds in toppling the Crusaders, they will secure their third successive win against Australasian opposition this season.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann made three changes to his starting XV, with lock Martin Muller and backs Andries Coetzee and Lionel Mapoe starting, while Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies has been drafted onto the bench in only his third Vodacom Super Rugby clash of the season.
“The Crusaders are a great attacking team, so we are expecting a challenging encounter,” said Lions coach Johan Ackermann. “But we would like to build on our momentum in the competition, so if we could secure a victory, no matter how it comes, we will take it. If the weather plays along it could be a good game.”
The teams are:
Lions: Andries Coetzee, Deon van Rensburg, Lionel Mapoe, Stefan Watermeyer, Courtnall Skosan, Marnitz Boshoff, Faf de Klerk, Warren Whiteley (captain), Willie Britz, Jaco Kriel, Martin Muller, Franco Mostert, Julian Redelinghuys, Willie Wepener, Schalk van der Merwe. Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Corne Fourie, Ruan Dreyer, MB Lusaseni, Warwick Tecklenburg, Ross Cronje, Elton Jantjies, JW Jonker.
Crusaders: Israel Dagg, Nemani Nadolo, Kieron Fonotia, Ryan Crotty (captain), Johnny McNicholl, Colin Slade, Andy Ellis, Luke Whitelock, Matt Todd, George Whitelock, Samuel Whitelock, Dominic Bird, Owen Franks, Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett. Replacements: Corey Flynn, Daniel Lienert-Brown, Nepo Laulala, Jimmy Tupou, Jordan Taufua, Willi Heinz, Tyler Bleyendaal, Tom Taylor.
