Lions v Bulls: It’s all about who gains control up front

A tough and physical forward battle is set to be waged as the Lions take on the Bulls in their United Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kickoff 3pm).

The cross-Jukskei derby is always a massive one for the two rivals and with both teams having lost their URC derbies against the Sharks and Stormers last week, they will be aiming to bounce back this weekend.

“I don’t think there is any South African derby game which won’t be physical and will not be a massive battle up front, even more so when you play against a big physical pack like the Bulls,” said Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen.

“So we know it will be a physical game and we know it will be a set piece orientated game with a fair bit of kicking. I think we have prepared really well this week and it’s up to the guys to do the job now.”

‘We need to man up’

Lions captain Burger Odendaal also pointed to the forward battle as playing a key role in the match, with the team that gains the ascendancy up front expected to control proceedings and allow the backs freedom to play.

“I think it’s all going to start up front, whatever pack gets momentum and gets the team on the front foot, it’s easy to attack from if your pack is going forward,” admitted Odendaal.

“So for us it is going to start at the set piece battle and then we must stick to the system, we know what the Bulls can bring. They are very gain line focused, so we need to man up on defence and get off the line and can’t give them easy momentum.

“Hopefully when we have the ball in hand we can put them under a bit of pressure, get us into our attack shape and play in the right areas of the field.”

With the Bulls the lowest placed SA team and languishing second from bottom of the URC log they will be desperate to turn things around with a win against their closest rivals, especially after allowing the Stormers to steal a win from them last weekend.

“This weekend’s match is especially meaningful for us because we lost this past weekend. We lost a home game, a little bit like the Stormers did to the Lions a couple of weeks ago and they obviously bounced back, which is what we want to do,” said Bulls coach Jake White.

The match is the first of a double header between the two sides, with them fronting up at Loftus next weekend, making this weekend’s clash vitally important in building up some good momentum ahead of the return fixture.