The Sigma Lions will be keen to move up on the log when they host Tafel Lager Griquas on Wednesday, but the men from Johannesburg will not underestimate their visitors, who showed recently against the Toyota Cheetahs and DHL WP what they are capable of.
The Sigma Lions will host Tafel Lager Griquas this afternoon @ 14h30 in Johannesburg in Round 6 of the Carling Currie Cup.
The last time the Sigma Lions and Tafel Lager Griquas met, lightning over Kimberley brought an early end to the clash and the visitors were awarded the win (20-17) after the weather conditions forced players off the field. It happened in the opening round of the 2020 season and Tafel Lager Griquas led by 17-13 at the break, but early in the second half, they conceded a penalty try at a scrum, which was enough to secure the win for the Sigma Lions.
The last time the Sigma Lions were in action was on 23 June against Western Province (38-32). Their only other match was in Round 1 when they lost (39-10) against the Pumas in Nelspruit. The Sigma Lions lost against the B&I Lions (14-56) on 03 July in their last match before the upcoming fixture against Griquas.
Griquas come into this match after a great win in Round 4 against Western Province (30-28) on 07 July 2021. The rest of their season saw them losing 16-30 against the Sharks and 22-26 against the Pumas. A great win against the Cheetahs (31-10) was achieved in Round 3.
Prediction: The Griquas is a settled team with the Lions welcoming back several stars that will compete for the first time in the Currie Cup. The Lions should win this one with 10-15 points if I was a betting man.
Sigma Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen has made several changes to his side. The front row sees Sti Sithole, Jaco Visagie and Jannie du Plessis all get their first start of the Carling Currie Cup season. MJ Pelser will also make his first appearance.
In the backline we see Morne van den Berg move up from the bench, while Jordan Hendrikse makes his Currie Cup debut. Burger Odendaal and Stean Pienaar also return to the fray.
On the bench, Andre Warner returns from injury (cheekbone) and FP Pelser will also await his return to Lions rugby. If he gets a run-on, U21 captain, Travis Gordon will make his debut.
“It’s great being back home for this Currie Cup match. We’ve missed out on one or two matches this season, so we are all just very excited to get the season back on track,” said Van Rooyen.
Tafel Lager Griquas made only one change to their starting lineup that has beaten DHL Western Province (30-28) in Round 4 of the 2021 Carling Currie Cup. Upfront Adre Smith comes in for Mzwanele Zito at lock, with Zito moving to the bench.
Tafel Lager Griquas: 15. Ashlon Davids, 14. Daniel Kasende, 13. Jay Cee Nel, 12. Jonathan Francke, 11. Eduan Keyter, 10. George Whitehead, 9. Stefan Ungerer, 8. Ruan Steenkamp (C), 7. Hanru Sirgel, 6. Gideon vd Merwe, 5. Cameron Lindsay, 4. Adre Smith, 3. Janu Botha , 2. Janco Uys, 1. Mox Mxoli . Replacements: 16. HJ Luus, 17. Andrew Beerwinkel, 18. Andries Schutte, 19. Mzwanele Zito, 20. Sibabalo Qoma, 21. Raegan Oranje, 22. Thinus de Beer, 23. Ederies Arendse, 24. Andre Kuhn, 25. Jeandre Leonards, 26. Theo Boshoff.
Sigma Lions: 15. EW Viljoen, 14. Stean Pienaar, 13. Manuel Rass, 12. Burger Odendaal, 11. Rabz Maxwane, 10. Jordan Hendrikse, 9. Morne van den Berg, 8. Francke Horn (capt.), 7. Sibusiso Sangweni, 6. MJ Pelser, 5. Reinhardt Nothnagel, 4. Ruben Schoeman, 3. Jannie du Plessis, 2. Jaco Visagie, 1. Sti Sithole. Replacements: 16. PJ Botha, 17. Ruan Dreyer, 18. Carlu Sadie, 19. FP Pelser, 20. Travis Gordon, 21. Andre Warner, 22. Fred Zeilinga, 23. Duncan Matthews.