Lions looking to shake things up against Dragons

The Lions will be looking to shake things up against the Dragons in their first ever Challenge Cup clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 12:45pm).

The two sides just recently played each other in the United Rugby Championship (URC) two weekends ago, with the Lions emerging as comfortable but unconvincing winners, and they will be targeting an improved performance this time around.

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The Lions put in an improved performance against Scarlets in the URC over the past weekend, with the home side showing some impressive variation at their set pieces, which they will be eager to continue against the Dragons.

 “We felt against the Dragons (in the URC) we were a bit one dimensional, just setting up the maul and then the forwards coming around the corner, so we also felt we weren’t very efficient in conserving energy with the forwards,” explained Lions loose forward Jaco Kriel.

“We can’t maul or scrum every time to get penalties. So we tried a bit of variation (against Scarlets) and we felt if we could give our backs a bit more ball it would be really good.

“Obviously we have a dangerous backline if they are in form on the day. But there are some things we can do better, and we are getting there, so hopefully we can continue that against the Dragons this weekend.”

Exciting debut

The Lions players are excited to be making their Challenge Cup debut, but it is a strange situation that sees them playing their URC rivals three times in two competitions over two months.

“The guys are looking forward to it and it is a first for the Lions. So whoever plays will be making history as it is their first game in the competition,” said Kriel.

“It’s just funny playing the Dragons again. Playing them three times in two months is almost going to feel like Test match rugby. But that is part of the competition and we have to prepare for a big challenge every week.”

The Cheetahs will also be making their Challenge Cup debut after they were invited to compete in this season’s edition.

It is a massive opportunity for the forgotten SA franchise and they will be very eager to prove that they deserve to be playing rugby at a higher level than the Currie Cup.

Part of the agreement for the Cheetahs to take part was that they will be based in Europe, with them making the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi in Parma, Italy their home, but they will play their first match against Pau in France on Saturday (kick-off 3pm).

It will be a tricky encounter for the Free Staters and they will need to look to their most experienced duo, Frans Steyn and Ruan Pienaar to help guide them in the match.