Ackermann toys with restful trip to PE

LIONS coach Johan Ackermann is in two minds about resting some of his players for Saturday’s Super Rugby match against the Southern Kings in Port Elizabeth.

Ackermann is keen to give some of his players a rest when his team take on South Africa’s weakest side, but a growing injury list and an upsurge in performance by the Eastern Cape-based team has made the decision a little trickier for the man who took the Lions all the way to the final last season.

Already without the injured Howard Mnisi, Julian Redelinghuys and Ruan Combrinck, Ackermann may also have to do without utility back Jaco van der Walt, prop Johannes Jonker and Lionel Mapoe for the foreseeable future.

The Lions will have greater clarity today regarding the seriousness of the injuries, but the latter three are unlikely to run out in PE.

“Some of our players can still do with more game time, but there are some who could also do with some freshening up,” said the coach.

“We’ll assess the situation once we know who is fit and who isn’t. But we have full confidence in the guys who will come up. The key will be deciding if it is worth the risk to rest certain players.”

Ackermann is fully aware that the Kings are on the up, having beaten the Sunwolves and pushed the Sharks, in particular, to the very end of their encounter last weekend.

At home they will be even more difficult to beat.

“We can’t under-estimate them, that’s for sure,” he said.

“They’ll be tough at home so we know we’re going to have to go there and try and just get a positive result. Whoever I decide on, to take them on will be based on how well all our players recover from the Reds game and what we find in our analysis of the Kings.”

There is almost certainly going to be a change at hooker with Akker van der Merwe, who has been injured for two weeks, returning to the fold, while Ackermann also hinted at resting one of his two premier scrumhalves.

“Akker will be hungry for action so it’ll be a good thing to get him involved again, while we’ll also look at our nines,” Ackermann said.

Expect one of Faf de Klerk and Ross Cronje to sit with Dillon Smith coming in, while at hooker Robbie Coetzee or Malcolm Marx will get a rest.

Ackermann no doubt has his mind on the big conference game against the Sharks next Saturday, and he will want a fit and well-rested team for that encounter.