Nkosi proud of his young Lions ahead of Currie Cup semis: ‘It’s a big one for us’

Lions Currie Cup coach Mziwakhe Nkosi is extremely proud of his young side as they prepare for their massive Currie Cup semifinal to be battled out against the Cheetahs at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2:30pm).

The Lions have been the form team in the competition, and finished the pool stage on top of the log, while most of their hard work has been done by young up and comers and fringe players, with their United Rugby Championship (URC) regulars having been on a break for most of it.

Although a large number of their URC regulars are expected to be back for the semifinal, they will still have a good few youngsters in the mix who got them to this stage.

“We are obviously looking forward to Saturday. Everyone is excited for the weekend and it is a big one for us in the grand scheme of things,” said Nkosi ahead of the match.

“We have played a large part of the competition with eight U21s, as well as a few 22-year-olds. So it has been successful in them carrying us to the semis in that respect.”

Despite the Cheetahs having struggled a bit more than they have in previous Currie Cup campaigns, Nkosi is well aware of the danger that they pose and what the Lions are up against.

Quality team

“I think they have been strong. Like any team they hit a bit of a dip in form at a crucial stage of the competition, but they are still a quality team,” said Nkosi.

“If you look at some of their players like (Dan) Kasende, (Jeandre) Rudolph, Ethan Wentzel who has come nicely out of the Varsity Cup, and Corne Fourie who used to be here with us. So they are an experienced and talented team, and we expect them to come and try tear the skin off our backs.”

In the pool stage the Lions won nine of their 10 games, including a 38-21 win over the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, to earn a home semi and possible home final, with their only slip up coming at home against the Sharks, and Nkosi believes that result rallied them to where they are now.

“We spoke a lot about getting a home playoff, and we know in competitions like these how important a home playoff is. In terms of a home final we can’t think that far ahead, we have to tick the box this weekend first,” explained Nkosi.

“In the Sharks game we let ourselves down badly, the players will be the first to admit that. But I am proud with how the guys rallied up after that and we have now gone about five (wins) on the trot to put us in this position.”