Coach De Bruin wants fair shake
LIONS COACH: WE ARE NOT DIRTY OR ILL-DISCIPLINED
New flyhalf in place for clash against the Cheetahs.
The Lions have been left frustrated by holding the short end of the stick in disciplinary actions in the Currie Cup over the past two weeks. Coach Swys de Bruin, who made five changes yesterday in the side to face the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein tomorrow, referred to the red card for hooker Robbie Coetzee against the Sharks, only to be found not guilty later, and the yellow to wing Anthony Volmink against Western Province.
“We are not a dirty or ill-disciplined side, all we want is to be treated fairly,” said De Bruin.
“We would probably have preferred penalties where no card could have made a major difference to the result.”
Jaco van der Walt has been moved from flyhalf to fullback, with Ashlon Davids the new No 10, while Sylvian Mahuza moves from fullback to wing in place of Madosh Tambwe who will turn out for the Under-19s today.
Up front, James Venter is the new No 6, while Cyle Brink moves to the blindside flank in place of Robert Kruger who is ruled out with a groin injury.
De Bruin said the decision to move Van der Walt to fullback is to give Davids an opportunity.
“Ashlon has been training very well and deserves his chance, he talks and communicates very well,” said De Bruin.
On the bench De Bruin has included a familiar face in prop Jacobie Adriaanse.
“He joined us from the Bulls and he was here at the Lions, but left about the same time I arrived here in 2013,” said De Bruin.
“But I’m very excited about Jacobie and in a way he reminds me a lot of Julian Redelinghuys.”
There is still doubt over the calf injury of prop, captain Jacques van Rooyen, but De Bruin is positive he will be ready in time.
“Jacques trained well this morning (yesterday), but we have other captaincy options like Jaco van der Walt and Harold Vorster should he have to pull out,” he said.