The Emirates Lions may be playing for pride, but with the team coming off back-to-back defeats after an impressive four-match winning run, they will present a stern challenge against Benetton on Saturday at 14h00 in Johannesburg
They will also look to take advantage of Benetton’s disappointing track record away from home after last winning a match outside of Italy in the 2020 season, and the fact that they have only won four of their 15 matches so far in the competition.
“We've had a good week, the guys are really putting in the hard work,” said Emirates Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys.
“It’s very important for us to stay in the process and focus on aspects we would like to improve on, not only for Saturday but in future. Benetton are a very good side. They had a pretty decent start against the Vodacom Bulls last weekend, so we’ll prepare for that leading up to Saturday.
“We'll focus quite a bit on our decision-making come Saturday with a bigger emphasis on our structures and making sure we are accurate.”
The Emirates Lions announced their match 23 to face Italian club Benetton Rugby in the Johannesburg-based side’s last home game before jetting off to Wales in two weeks for their final fixture of the tournament.
Stean Pienaar returns to the right-wing, in a starting XV which sees JP Smith and Carlu Sadie pack down in the front row in concert with hooker PJ Botha.
Earlier this week Emirates Lions Scrum Coach emphasized on the need to execute effectively on the day, especially against a team like Benetton Rugby which has the ability to catch teams off-guard.
“The focus for us this week has been on better decision-making and keeping our structures when it comes to the fundamentals of the game which could ultimately give us the edge over the weekend,” explains the former Bok prop.
While winning is key, Redelinghuys believes laying the foundation and sticking to core processes will go a long way towards the team’s success.
“We all know rugby is rewarding when you win, but to focus on the result won’t necessarily do the job for you. Our processes are what is key for us not only ahead of Saturday, but as building blocks for the future,” he concluded.
Weather: 22° with 13km/h SW wind, partly cloudy with 39% humidity with little chance of rain.
Prediction: Emirates Lions by 12.
Teams:
Emirates Lions: 15. Quan Horn, 14. Stean Pienaar, 13. Wandisile Simelane, 12. Burger Odendaal (C), 11. Edwill van der Merwe, 10. Jordan Hendrikse, 9. Morne van den Berg, 8. Emmanuel Tshituka, 7. Vincent Tshituka, 6. Francke Horn, 5. Reinhard Nothnagel, 4. Ruben Schoeman, 3. Carlu Sadie, 2. PJ Botha, 1. JP Smith. Replacements: 16. Jaco Visagie, 17. Sti Sithole, 18. Ruan Dreyer, 19. Ruan Venter, 20. Sibusiso Sangweni, 21. Andre Warner, 22. Manuel Rass, 23. Tiaan Swanepoel.
Benetton: 15. Rhyno Smith, 14. Edoardo Padovani, 13. Tommaso Menoncello, 12. Filippo Drago, 11. Monty Ioane, 10. Tomas Albornoz, 9. Dewaldt Duvenage (captain), 8. Lorenzo Cannone, 7. Manuel Zuliani, 6. Giovanni Pettinelli, 5. Carl Wegner, 4. Irnè Herbst, 3. Simone Ferrari, 2. Giacomo Nicotera, 1. Thomas Gallo. Replacements: 16. Hame Faiva, 17. Ivan Nemer, 18. Tiziano Pasquali, 19. Federico Ruzza, 20. Matteo Meggiato, 21. Alessandro Garbisi, 22. Leonardo Marin, 23. Andries Coetzee
