Ackermann's son on Lions' bench
The Ackermann legacy looks set to continue at the Lions, with young Ruan Ackermann named on the bench for the team's only pre-season outing.
They will take two teams – the Lions and Lions XV – to Potchefstroom for encounters with the NWU-Pukke XV and the Leopards respectively.
Ruan Ackermann, 19, is the son of Lions coach Johan and played for the Golden Lions' Under-19 team last year.
Ackermann junior, also a former member of the powerhouse Garsfontein school first XV, has played provincial rugby from Under-13 level.
Unlike his famous father, a Springbok lock in his day, Ackermann junior is a loose forward.
He will play off the bench in the Lions team to be captained by Warren Whiteley – who played two Tests for the Springboks last year and was also a member of the gold medal-winning Bok Sevens team at the Commonwealth Games last year.
The Lions XV will be captained by one of the Johannesburg-based franchise's other new Boks – prop Julian Redelinghuys.
The two teams and benches are an interesting mix in which Ackermann has distributed the talent throughout the 54-man squad that heads to Potchefstroom.
Lions (v NWU-Pukke): 15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Sampie Mastriet, 13 Nicolaas Hanekom, 12 Howard Mnisi, 11 Courtnall Skosan, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Ross Cronje, 8 Warren Whiteley (captain), 7 Derrick Minnie, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Lourens Erasmus, 3 Ruan Dreyer, 2 Armand van der Merwe, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Replacements – from: Mark Pretorius, Corne Fourie, Pieter Scholtz, Robert Kruger, Ruan Ackermann, Thabo Mabuza, Victor Sekekete, Francois de Klerk, Shaun Reynolds, Harold Vorster, Gerdus van der Walt, Cameron Rooi.
Date: Saturday, January 31
Venue: Olen Park, Potchefstroom
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT)
Referees: Oregopotse Rametsi, Archie Sehlako
Lions XV (v Leopards): 15 Ruan Combrinck, 14 Mark Richards, 13 Rohan Janse van Rensburg, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Anthony Volmink, 10 Jaco van der Walt, 9 Luan Jacobs, 8 Ruaan Lerm, 7 Warwick Tecklenburg, 6 Stephan de Wit, 5 Martin Muller, 4 Schalk van Heerden, 3 Julian Redelinghuys (captain), 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Jacques van Rooyen.
Replacements – from: 16 Ramone Samuels, 17 Clinton Theron, 18 Dylan Smith, 19 Le Roux Roets, 20 JP du Preez, 21 Cyle Brink, 22 Fabian Booysen, 23 Ricky Schroeder, 24 Kobus de Kock, 25 Alwyn Hollenbach, 26 Jacques Nel, 27 Damian Engledou.
Date: Saturday, January 31
Venue: Olen Park, Potchefstroom
Kick-off: 16.40 (14.40 GMT)
Referee: Jaco Pretorius
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