There’s probably method to Lions’ low-key pre-season prep
Swys de Bruin's troops still only have one warm-up game scheduled before Super Rugby but he's also getting quite a few match-fit stars back.
Rohan Janse van Rensburg is having a good time at Sale before returning to the Lions. (Photo by Tony Marshall/Getty Images)
There never seems to be a right or a wrong answer to a rugby team’s pre-season preparations.
The Lions and Bulls’ build-up to this year’s revamped (again) Super Rugby campaign attests to that.
While the men from Loftus confirmed earlier this week that they’ll play no less than four proper warm-up matches – against the Lions, Sharks, Stormers and Jaguares – their neighbours from across the Jukskei river are keeping things low-key.
The Lions still have only announced the Bulls match as a warm-up.
Yet they might have point in doing things that way.
Unlike the Bulls, the Lions have a substantial amount of key players only returning later this month due to overseas commitments.
Regular captain Warren Whiteley, Elton Jantjies, Lionel Mapoe and Franco Mostert have all been involved in Japan’s Top League’s playoffs.
Additionally, powerful centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg has been starring for England’s Sale Sharks during his three-month stint at the club while upcoming tighthead Johannes Jonker has been employed as a medical joker (emergency loan replacement) for French giants Montpellier.
The point here is that these players are actually match fit, especially the two men in Europe.
As a result, keeping that core fresh instead of overplaying them before the season actually starts seems to dictate the Lions’ thinking.
Coach Swys de Bruin isn’t too perturbed about only welcoming those stalwarts back later.
“It’s the reality,” he said.
“But I’m really chuffed with the way our pre-season is going. Given the big guns’ absence, it’s been great to explore our depth and work with the up-and-coming guys keen to knock on the door.”
Meanwhile, Janse van Rensburg is raving about his experience at Sale, where he scored a brace of tries in last weekend’s action.
“I still think there are a couple of things I can work on, but every week I have been enjoying it so much here,” he told Sale’s website.
“It’s so easy to for me fit in and that’s a rare thing to find in rugby. Sometimes it can be quite difficult when you are a new guy to fit into a place but here it has been easy and I really appreciate that.”
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