Lions have 'good' cover at flyhalf

The Lions will make their return to Super Rugby without one of their most influential players, flyhalf Elton Jantjies.

However, coach Johan Ackermann believes he has more than adequate cover in such a pivotal position.

The injury-enforced absence of Jantjies (shoulder surgery in the off-season) and fullback Andries Coetzee (knee injury in the pre-season), along with flyer Anthony Volmink (shoulder) means Ackermann have a few interesting selection poser ahead of their first match back – against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday.

Despite this Ackermann remained upbeat about his team's backline depth.

"We have been prepared for the fact that Elton [Jantjies] and Anthony [Volmink] will not recover in time," the Lions mentor told this website in an interview.

"Those are two good players we'll miss, as well as Andries Coetzee," he said of the star fullback, who suffered a knee ligament injury in the 19-12 pre-season win over the Southern Kings and will be out for approximately six weeks.

Lock Rudi Matthee will also be sidelined for eight weeks with an arm fracture.

However, it is at flyhalf where the key decision is to be made.

"The positive is that we have Willie du Plessis and Bossie [Marnitz Boshoff] at flyhalf," Ackermann told this website.

"Elton [Jantjies], when he returns in a week or two, will bring additional energy and there will be a battle for the No.10 jersey.

"It is a good position to be in, to have some depth at flyhalf."

It could be that Ackermann will start with young Willie du Plessis, a star of the victorious University of Pretoria Varsity Cup team last year, at flyhalf and play Boshoff at fullback hen he names his team.

Ackermann also explained the decision to put his senior stars on ice for most of the pre-season matches, giving them just one run-out – against the Southern Kings.

"We always felt we should not play more than one, perhaps part of a second game, with our frontline players," the coach said, adding: "The goal for the game against the Sharks [last week] was to give any players who were injured a last chance of a [pre-season] run-out.

"Then we also had the opportunity to put some of our younger players on trial at the same time.

"In principle it was a success, because those players experienced something they would not have been exposed to before. Hopefully next time they are in a similar situation they won't be so wide-eyed and star-struck – it worked out well for us."

Ackermann said he knows what he has in seasoned players like Franco van der Merwe and Derrick Minnie – who did not feature in the 14-57 loss to the Sharks last week.

"There was no need to over-expose them, there is a very long season ahead. Hopefully the one game would have been enough to get them match-ready."

By Jan de Koning