Lions v Sharks - Teams and Prediction
PREVIEW: The rescheduled United Rugby Championship Round Eight fixture between the Lions and Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday promises to be a humdinger.
As the old saying goes, “a week in rugby is a long time”. If that’s the case, the three-week break since these teams were last in action is an eternity.
Whilst the Sharks finished on a high by claiming a double scalp over the Stormers in Round 11, the Lions were dismantled by the Bulls at Ellis Park by 17-52, which saw them drop out of the top eight on the URC table.
The Sharks made significant coaching changes in the meantime, with JP Pietersen being promoted from interim to head coach on Wednesday, which would bring more stability to the side.
The Lions had the Sharks’ number in recent times, winning four out of their past five meetings, including the last time they met at Kings Park, where Ivan Van Rooyen’s troops pipped the Sharks by a single point in Round Nine.
A win for either team will give them a significant boost to reach the play-offs.
The Sharks have one hand on the SA Shield, which they will clinch if they claim victory in Johannesburg.
Lions forwards coach Wessel Roux is wary of the threat the Sharks’ forward pack poses, but feels that they’ve done sufficient preparation and analysis to deal with the onslaught.
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“The Sharks pack are firing quite nicely. They’re brave and creative,” Roux said.
“Sometimes it’s a difficult combination to stop. At times they’ll contest, and other times they’ll stay down [at the line-out], so they’re very creative in that sense.
“They were really dominant in both games against the Stormers. We went through all the games that we could.
“They also had time to make new plans, so you can’t focus too much on what they did in the past.
“It’s a world-class pack and a world-class team,” Roux added.
Roux also touched on the changes in the Sharks game he picked up since Pietersen took the reins from John Plumtree.
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“They simplified their game, but play more aggressively and with a focus on physical dominance.
“But I don’t think too much has changed. They have a real competitive edge, especially their pack.
“There are many international players in their team, so it feels like a Test match we have to prepare for.”
URC debutant and former Lions age-group captain Siba Mahase, who starts in the No.6 jersey, credited his teammates for the development in his progress to making the starting team this weekend.
“I’m around people who can mentor me, such as Ruan Venter, Jarod Cairns and Renzo du Plessis as people to look up to, to help me when it comes to training.”
Newly appointed Sharks coach Pietersen expects the Lions to come out guns blazing from the outset, as they did in Durban during their Round Nine meeting and use the altitude and home ground to their advantage this time.
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“The Lions will be confident after defeating us here in Durban, and they showed in the first half how to put us under pressure.
“They were clinical in the first stanza, being 17-0 up in the opening 20 minutes. They’ll take huge confidence from that game.
“They’ll be hurting after the Bulls result, but they’re a quality outfit who would love a fast start against us to put us under massive pressure.
“With the altitude [factor], everyone knows that they’ll want to run against you and want you to chase games until you run out of steam.”
Prediction
Rugby365: Lions by five points
Teams
Lions: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henco van Wyk, 12 Bronson Mills, 11 Angelo Davids, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Francke Horn (captain), 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Siba Mahashe, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 SJ Kotze.
Replacements: 16 Franco Marais, 17 RF Schoeman, 18 Eddie Davids, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Renzo du Plessis, 22 Haashim Pead, 23 Erich Cronjé.
Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe, 13 Francois Venter, 12 Jurenzo Julius, 11 Jaco Williams, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Thomas Dyer, 7 Vincent Tshituka (captain), 6 Tino Mavesere, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Corne Rahl, 3 Hanro Jacobs, 2 Fez Mbatha, 1 Phatu Ganyane
Replacements: 16, Eduan Swart, 17 Cameron Dawson, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Emile van Heerden, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Ross Braude, 22 Jordan Hendrikse, 23 Yaw Penxe
Date: Saturday, February 21
Venue: Ellis Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 14.00 SAST (12.00 GMT)
Referee: Griffin Colby (South Africa)
Assistant referees: Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Zoe Naude (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
