Lions brace for Stormers clash in ‘friendly’ fixture

This weekend’s match might be a “friendly” warm-up game, but no contest against the Stormers will ever be a walk in the park, Lions coach Cash van Rooyen has warned.

“For us it’s nice to be privileged to have the opportunity to play again,” Van Rooyen said.

“We know that the Stormers are a very good team. They have a great set-piece, great scrum, good maul and a sound kicking game.”

With Van Rooyen set to announce his squad on Thursday for the SuperFan clash at Loftus on Saturday, the Lions side was expected to include a combination of returning stars and new signings like flank Jaco Kriel, prop Ruan Dreyer, centre Burger Odendaal and fullback EW Viljoen.

“The Stormers have always had a great counter-attack if you kick on them,” Van Rooyen said.

“So … with Warrick Gelant there, the same will happen, so it’s a great test for us after the game we had against them in Super Rugby where they beat us in the 83rd or 84th minute.”

Van Rooyen stressed, however, that it was their first game in more than five months.

“The biggest focus for us this week is to get into the new normal, the Covid-19 game-week, to check protocols and to ensure what we can do and we are not allowed to do,” he said.

“In terms of the team it’s an opportunity for us to get back on the pitch, to show how we have grown and to create an opportunity for the players to really express themselves.”

Van Rooyen said it was important for the Lions to hit the ground running, while focussing on key areas.

“It’s good for us to test ourselves physically and determine where we are with our set-piece,” he said.

“It’s a great opportunity for us to play for 80 minutes and see what we are working on and determine how much we have grown.”

The first match on Saturday, between the Bulls and the Sharks, kicks off at 4.30pm, followed by the fixture between the Lions and the Stormers at 7pm.

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