The four South African Vodacom United Rugby Championship teams will return to the field in full swing on Saturday for first the first time since early December when the Emirates Lions host the Cell C Sharks in Johannesburg in the first of the two matches, today @ 15h00.
Both the Emirates Lions and Cell C Sharks will be looking to pick up where they left off in 2021 when they cross paths at Emirates Airline Park after registering victories in their last round of matches – the wins marking the second each for the sides in their five encounters to date.
Not many bookies will give the Lions a chance in hell to beat the Springbok laden Cell C Sharks, however, if the Lions pack of forwards can give their exciting backline adequate quality ball on the front foot the visitors can return home without the expected log points.
Expect a high tempo game with the pack of forwards to determine the eventual winners. A try-fest on our hands?
Emirates Lions lock forward Pieter Jansen van Vuren makes a return to the match-23 to face the Cell C Sharks. He makes an appearance in the starting lineup after being sidelined due to injury during the team’s tour to the UK.
Also featuring in the number seven jumper on Saturday is Ruhan Straeuli who comes in for the injured Vincent Tshituka.
Emirates Lions Head Coach Ivan van Rooyen: “It’s great to be back for Vodacom URC action especially on our home turf. It’ll be our first URC fixture at home since the campaign started so we’re pretty excited about that.”
Commenting on his selected match 23, Van Rooyen believes his troops are up for the Sharks challenge with a few players hoping to make an impact this weekend.
“We are pleased to have Pieter back. He was great for us on tour before injury halted his momentum. He’s trained really well over the past few weeks, and he is eager to get stuck in again.”
Van Rooyen backed his loose trio to provide his side with the necessary go forward attitude against the visitors.
“It’s unfortunate to lose Vincent due to an injury setback, but the opportunity now presents itself for Ruhan to come in and do the job for us in concert with Jaco Kriel and Francke Horn, “ he concluded.
Cell C Sharks head coach Sean Everitt has named a powerful line-up.
Despite missing a handful of Springboks and given that the Carling Currie Cup has also dipped into The Sharks player pool, Everitt has still been able to select a very strong side.
Lukhanyo Am leads the side and he is joined by a Test-laden backline, with all the familiar faces amongst a bruising pack.
Cell C Sharks fullback Aphelele Fassi explains where the team is in a mental and preparation space and points out that the learnings they have taken on board will stand them in good stead as the competition now resumes after the tournament broke for the festive season holidays.
“It’s been a tough two weeks after the break and our focus has been on reflecting on phase one of the URC which was a difficult challenge playing overseas. The learnings taken from that into this phase of the URC has been good for us and we’re looking forward to getting out there and rectifying our mistakes and building from there.”
He adds that the vibe is positive and the players are all excited to get stuck into the tournament.
The mood in the camp is relaxed, everyone is eager to get out there and play. There’s a lot of energy at training, the boys want to put in a good effort every session, even though it’s scorching out there. But everyone is happy that there are fixtures and that we’re able to play again.”
Casting his mind to their opponents on Saturday, he says, “We know the Lions are full of intensity, but with that comes mistakes and one thing we’ve looked after is being able to capitalise on opportunities that we receive, so to convert four from five opportunities would be great. And then playing in the right areas of the field is something we want to achieve.
“We’re expecting a very fast game,” he adds. “They’re a team that loves to play with a lot of intensity and keep the ball in play and we’re looking forward to the game.
“For some of us, it’s our first taste of URC rugby, for some it’s their first game in a long time and we’re all looking forward to the challenge.”
Weather: 22° Celsius, cloudy with no rain expected, and a moderated easterly wind
Prediction: Cell C Sharks by 10.
Emirates Lions: 15. EW Viljoen, 14.Edwill van der Merwe, 13. Wandisile Simelane, 12. Burger Odendaal (c), 11. Sibahle Maxwane, 10. Fred Zeilinga, 9. Andre Warner, 8. Francke Horn, 7. Ruhan Straeuli, 6. Jaco Kriel, 5. Pieter Jansen van Vuren, 4. Ruben Schoeman, 3. Carlu Sadie, 2. Jaco Visagie, 1. Sti Sithole,. Replacements: 16. PJ Botha, 17. Morgan Naude, 18. Ruan Dreyer, 19. Willem Alberts, 20. Emmanuel Tshituka, 21. Morne van den Berg, 22. Matt More, 23. Tiaan Swanepoel.
Cell C Sharks: 15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Sibusiso Nkosi, 13. Lukhanyo Am (c), 12. Ben Tapuai, 11. Makazole Mapimpi, 10. Boeta Chamberlain, 9. Grant Williams, 8. Phendulani Buthelezi, 7. Jeandré Labuschagne, 6. James Venter, 5. Hyron Andrews, 4. Ruben van Heerden, 3. Thomas du Toit, 2. Kerron van Vuuren, 1. Retshegofaditswe Nche. Replacements: 16. Fezokuhle Mbatha, 17. Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18. Khutha Mchunu, 19. Reniel Hugo, 20. Henco Venter, 21. Jaden Hendrikse, 22. Joaquin Bonilla, 23. Jeremy Ward.