Confident Kings psyched for Jaguares

COOL heads will be needed in the heat of battle when the Southern Kings face a Jaguares outfit who often operate on a short fuse and are prone to lapses in discipline.

Hopes are high that the Kings, thanks to an extensive pre-season and new signings, will get their campaign off to a winning start at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium today (kick-off 5.15pm).

The Kings’ starting lineup will include four new Super Rugby caps in wing Makazole Mapimpi, centre Berton Klaasen and the lock pairing of Irne Herbst and Mzwanele Zito.

Last year the Kings beat the Argentine outfit 29-22 after the Jaguares were left with 12 men after New Zealand referee Nick Briant dished out two red cards and a yellow.

“It is going to be very important for us to ensure that we are sound technically and that we also have good discipline on the field,” Kings head coach Deon Davids said.

“We will put ourselves under huge pressure if we concede yellow or red cards and I think that is the case for both teams.”

That display of ill-discipline still lingers in the Jaguares camp and their head coach Raul Perez made mention of it ahead of the clash.

“When we received our fixtures we saw that the first match was against the Kings and we started our first training session talking about discipline. It is a good opportunity to take revenge for last year’s match,” Perez said.

World Rugby has introduced strict penalties for making contact with the head of an opposition player this season.

All contact with a player’s head, whether accidental or deliberate, will now be punishable as part of a zerotolerance campaign to limit injuries and ensure that the head is a no-go area.

“There is a huge emphasis in the competition this year in making the game safer and ensuring that players adhere to the rules,” Davids said.

Davids stressed the importance of beginning the Kings’ campaign on a winning note.

“For us, it is important to go out there full of confidence in ourselves and what we can bring.

“The Jaguares will come out stronger and they will have learned a lot of lessons last year from their first year in the competition,” Davids said.

After the ill-tempered showing in Port Elizabeth the Jaguares gained revenge with a crushing 73-17 in the return match in Beunos Aires.