The Lions will need to be up early and ready for a heavyweight battle when they cross the Jukskei River to face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The unusual 1:30 pm kick-off was brought forward to avoid thunderstorms. The early start will do little to dampen the intensity of a Gauteng derby that promises plenty of physical confrontation, particularly up front. The Lions arrive in Pretoria unbeaten after two rounds of the United Rugby Championship.
Ivan van Rooyen's side has made an encouraging start to their campaign and will take confidence from their last visit to Loftus, where they claimed an entertaining 43-33 victory over the Bulls last season. However, the Lions coach knows past success counts for little against a Bulls side under Johan Ackermann desperate to make home advantage count. The Lions beat the Ospreys last weekend, but Van Rooyen expects a much tougher test against their neighbors.
Van Rooyen has made several changes to his team, with a new-look lock pairing of Dylan Sjoblom and Hyron Andrews. Springboks Morne van den Berg and Quan Horn return to the starting line-up at scrum-half and fullback, respectively. The backline has three changes, with Richard Kriel moving to the wing in place of the injured Erich Cronje. Ethan Adams partners Henco van Wyk in midfield, with Van Wyk returning after missing last weekend's match as a precaution following a head injury.
The Lions can also add muscle and pace from the bench, with Batho Hlekani and Siba Mahashe among the replacements. Nico Steyn provides cover at scrum-half and fly-half. Captain Francke Horn will again be central to the Lions' efforts, with his team needing to match the Bulls' physicality before looking to exploit opportunities in the wider channels.
Van Rooyen emphasized the importance of accuracy going into the Bulls fixture. "Accuracy is going to be massive going into the Bulls fixture," he said. "It's a typical derby, so it's going to be a massive set-piece focus and huge physicality." Assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys echoed this sentiment, believing the battle between the two packs could prove decisive.
The Bulls have shown in recent performances that they want to play a little bit more, which makes them more dangerous going into the weekend. Redelinghuys said, "These are two proud packs of forwards. When you play against a South African team, you can be sure that the levels of intensity will be higher, especially in the set-pieces."
The Lions have momentum on their side, but they will need more than confidence from last season's surprise victory at Loftus. The team to play the Bulls includes Quan Horn, Kelly Mpeku, Henco van Wyk, Ethan Adams, Richard Kriel, Chris Smith, Morné van den Berg, Francke Horne, Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, Hyron Andrews, Dylan Sjoblom, Sebastian Lombard, PJ Botha, and Boan Venter.
Key points
- The Lions have made several changes to their team, including a new-look lock pairing and the return of Springboks Morne van den Berg and Quan Horn.
