Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye taking advantage of his opportunity

Lions prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye is eager to continue building on the great opportunity he has been handed, as the Johannesburg side prepare to take on Stade Francais in their Challenge Cup clash in Paris on Saturday afternoon.

Ntlabakanye has been thrust into the tighthead starting berth for the Lions, after an injury to first choice Ruan Dreyer last month, and he has been building up a good head of steam over the past few games.

In last week’s URC match against Munster, despite a heavy 33-3 defeat, Ntlabakanye starred in an impressive front row performance from the Lions who had the hosts on the back foot throughout the game, and he now wants to take that form into this weekend’s match.

“The opportunity for me has been great. I think we have a great system here at the Lions and we are truly blessed with tighthead props, if you look at the likes of Ruan Dreyer, Ruan Smith, myself and the guys under me,” said Ntlabakanye.

“I think it (the performance against Munster) was very good. It gave me a lot of confidence. I really felt good and hopefully I can carry over that performance to this weekend.”

Different game

The Lions will once again be playing on an artificial pitch this weekend, this time at the Stade Jean-Bouin, and that is something the forward pack in particular will have to come to grips with, while they will also have to deal with a slightly different game from their French hosts.

“You have to change things up a little bit. You don’t get the same grip as you do on normal grass, so you do have to adapt your game. But I think this weekend we will adapt quicker than what we did against Munster,” Ntlabakanye said.

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“We can’t control what Stade Francais will bring on the weekend. It is a different competition in a way but our preparations stay the same. We don’t change anything from our side. The conditions are pretty similar (to what they have experienced in the UK).

“Their playing style is slightly different. The French are a bit more physical, a bit more around the rucks. While the UK sides have a bit more flair and they throw the ball around a bit more. It is a different challenge but it is something that we can all handle.”