No 'Russian roll-over' for Lions
Lions captain JC Janse van Rensburg has put his team on notice ahead of the second outing of their 2013 Challenge Series.
The Johannesburg-based franchise – who was kicked out of Super Rugby last year – started their year with an emphatic 51-13 roll-over of a hapless Russian national team at Ellis Park last Saturday.
It was a good win for the young Lions outfit – who was without a host of senior players, either loaned or sold to other Super Rugby franchises.
However, their next outing – against the Cheetahs this coming Saturday – will be a far more formidable challenge.
"Hendrik Roodt and I had a good chuckle, saying that anybody who thought the Russians were a challenge will get a good wake-up call against the Cheetahs," Van Rensburg told this website in an interview.
"They [the Cheetahs] are really tough.
"The Cheetahs are a proud team and when you face the Cheetahs you must gear up for a huge forward onslaught."
The Lions captain – one of a handful of senior players who opted to stay put in Johannesburg and help the team prepare for the season-ending promotion relegation game against the last-placed South African Super Rugby team – felt that there will be plenty of value in visiting Ellis Park on Saturday.
"The Cheetahs and ourselves play a very similar, exciting game," Van Rensburg told this website.
"We are prepared for that and it will be an exciting encounter, especially for the supporters .
"I get the sense that the spectators are eager to see some rugby and this pre-season game will hopefully live up to their expectation."
By Jan de Koning
