Six rookies in Lions line-up
Lions coach Johan Ackermann named six rookies in his team to mark their return to Super Rugby.
The Lions head to Bloemfontein on Saturday to take on the Cheetahs in the season-opener – marking the end of their boardroom-imposed exiled from the competition.
Warren Whiteley will captain the side in their first game back.
In the starting XV Chrysander Botha, Marnitz Boshoff, Franco Mostert, Julian Redelinghuys, Robbie Coetzee and Schalk van der Merwe will all make their Super Rugby debuts.
Pumas loan player Stefan Watermeyer played only one game of Super Rugby, for the Bulls in 2010 – before he moved to Ospreys in Wales, Griquas and last year to the Pumas.
Ackermann admitted his young side faced an uphill battle in the competition but believed they were an unknown quantity owing to the fact they had been out of the competition for a year.
“They don't know what to expect from us and at what level we are going to be and in which areas we will challenge them,” Ackermann said.
“We still want to enjoy this campaign regardless of the results. Nobody goes onto the field to lose – so when those setbacks happen we still have to enjoy each other.
“We are going to go out and do our best and take it from there.”
Compared with their 2012 Super Rugby season, Ackermann said their player depth has been depleted but he was confident his young charges would grow in stature.
“If you look at the names that were here back then, we've probably lost a couple of experienced players at the top of their careers like Jaco Taute, Michael Rhodes and a few other names,” he said.
“Maybe we had more depth in terms of experience but there is a lot of potential in this team and guys who are willing to work hard.”
While Ackermann was cautious in his forecast of the team's chances in the competition, captain Warren Whiteley expressed the players' excitement about testing themselves against the best in southern hemisphere rugby.
“Consistency will be one of the most important factors, so we want to improve every single game with Super Rugby being a competition that a lot of us haven't played in,” Whiteley said.
“We worked so hard to be there and now we want to stay there, so there is a lot of excitement for us. A great challenge lies ahead and we will face it head on.”
Lions: 15 Chrysander Botha, 14 Deon van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Stefan Watermeyer, 11 Ruan Combrinck, 10 Marnitz Boshoff, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Franco van der Merwe, 4 Franco Mostert, 3 Julian Redelinghuys, 2 Robbie Coetzee, 1 Schalk van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Willie Wepener, 17 Jacques van Rooyen, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Willie Britz, 20 Warwick Tecklenburg, 21 Francois de Klerk, 22 Coenie van Wyk, 23 Alwyn Hollenbach.
Date: Saturday, February 15
Venue: Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein
Kick-off: 17.05 (15.05 GMT)
Referee: Craig Joubert (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), Lourens van der Merwe (South Africa)
TMO: Johan Greeff (South Africa)
