Lions need to ‘pitch up’ in URC derby against Stormers
· Citizen
Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys says they will need to deliver a standout performance on the day if they want to pick up just their second United Rugby Championship (URC) derby win over the Stormers at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2.30pm).
After three straight home losses against the Stormers over the first three URC seasons, the Lions finally broke their duck last season with a solid 30-23 win over the Cape side, and they will be looking for a similar result this time round.
Visit hilogame.news for more information.
In their first derby meeting in December, the Stormers clinched a hard fought 34-27 win in Cape Town, so the Lions will also be eager to avenge that result.
Add to that the SA Shield still being up for grabs, and the fact that both teams need to win to give themselves a chance of taking the trophy, makes for what should be a thrilling encounter.
Sharks results
The Lions head into the match off the back of a strong home win over the Sharks last weekend, while the Stormers will need to shake off the rust, having not been in action since suffering back-to-back URC defeats to the Sharks in late January.
“We are facing the Stormers who are a quality team. They lost those two games against the Sharks, and they will be looking to bounce back from that strongly,” said Redelinghuys.
“They’ve had a couple of off weeks now, so we are expecting a massive battle from them. There is going to be strong set piece, physical and kicking battles throughout the game, and they are a really good unstructured team.
“We are well aware of what lies ahead for us, and our prep this week has gone well. But we still need to pitch up on the day, and make sure that the guys are ready to perform well this weekend. It is another game at home, which is always great.”
The Lions will also be bolstered to an extent after six of their players were picked to attend the Springboks first alignment camp of the season in Cape Town next week.
Springbok alignment
Current Springboks Morne van den Berg and Asenathi Ntlabakanye, one-cap Boks Quan Horn and Ruan Venter, and rising former Junior Bok stars Batho Hlekani and Haashim Pead have a great chance to get used to the culture once again when they attend.
“It is great to see six of our names popping up there. We internally are grateful for that. We work hard as a team, but we also love it when players get that recognition. So it is great to see those names on that list,” said Redelinghuys.
“We as a team believe that there are still names that can and will be added to that (Springbok) group in the near future. We believe a lot of the guys have the potential to make that step up.
“But we know that if the team does well, the individuals stand out, and that is our main purpose this weekend. This game against the Stormers gives us another opportunity to showcase what we as a team can do, and within that system let the individual shine and get the recognition they deserve.”