Forward battle to the fore for Lions monster Ntlabakanye

Monstrous Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye is fired up for the massive forwards battle that is set to be waged against the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship (URC) cross-Jukskei derby at Loftus on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 3pm).

Ntlabakanye will be the biggest player in both packs and he is excited to test himself against one of the best front rows in the URC, as the Lions look to bounce back from two straight defeats, with what would be their second win in a row in Pretoria.

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However, they will need to be at the very top of their game if they want to get the positive result and that will start up front where they will need to get the upper hand early on.

“You always want to play against the best. It is especially against South African teams that you can measure yourself. The Bulls’ pack is probably the best in the country next to that of the Stormers,” said Ntlabakanye.

“This week we have been paying a lot of attention to playing with more intensity on Saturday. The Bulls have a very good pack of forwards and so do we. It’s two super (packs) fighting each other and we’re looking forward to this challenge.”

Snapped losing streak

The Lions’ stunning 29-25 win over the Bulls at Loftus last year broke a 10 game losing streak against SA teams in the competition, and since then they have been edged 35-33 at home by the Stormers and beaten the Sharks 20-18 for a first win in Durban since 2017.

So the team will be confident that they can produce another upset over the in-form hosts, with Ntlabakanye admitting that the players needed very little motivation going into the game.

“It is not difficult to motivate us for this match. This is a big derby for us and we all know the game will be won or lost up front,” explained Ntlabakanye.

“If you want your backs to be at their best, you have to be strong up front. We know what lies ahead and we are not afraid of it. We know it’s a big challenge and we’re looking forward to it.”