Coach wary of ‘solid’ Griquas
RESTED: LOCK BACK TO MAKE PUMAS’ LIVES A MISERY
Rudolph Jacobs
Embarking on a new adventure tonight in their Currie Cup opener against Griquas at Ellis Park, the Golden Lions will have to be “on the ball”, according to new head coach Cash van Rooyen.
With a new coach in Van Rooyen, a new skipper in scrumhalf Ross Cronje (below) and four Under-21s players in the starting team, they will brace for an experienced Griquas side who have been together the whole year.
“They always bring excitement, they want to play rugby,” said Van Rooyen, who reads little into Griquas’ 42-19 loss to the Pumas last weekend in Nelspruit.
“They have a good squad, so we will have to be on the ball. It’s always nice to play them and they also have a good set-piece.”
While Griquas have a seasoned flyhalf in George Whitehead and an experienced scrumhalf in Christiaan Meyer who was on loan to the Lions in Super Rugby, Van Rooyen will have to rely on a few seniors who survived after Super Rugby.
A big test await new centres Jan-Louis la Grange and Manny Rass, new flankers Len Massyn and James Venter and young lock Rhyno Herbst.
The Lions coach also said the players were not down in the dumps after another Super Rugby disappointment.
“Fortunately we have a lot of juniors in the system and their energy picked everyone up. We also had good one-on-ones with all the senior players,” he said.
“They are in a good space and excited about the Currie Cup.”
Van Rooyen himself is very excited about his debut as the Lions’ head coach.
“Did I sit in a meeting and say I want to be the head coach? No. I never claimed I was a coach,” he said.
“But it’s all part of a process, from the doctor to the physio. Everyone is a part, so I’m fortunate and blessed,” he said.
Kick-off: 7pm.
Pieter-Steph du Toit drops to bench to accommodate him.
Coach Rassie Erasmus’ high regard for the work-rate and lineout expertise of lock Franco Mostert has made him a vital component in the national team’s arsenal.
Erasmus yesterday named just one change to his starting lineup for tomorrow’s Rugby Championship Test against Argentina in Mendoza with the return of Mostert at the expense of Pieter-Steph du Toit who moves down to the bench.
“Franco needed a rest after Super Rugby and the June internationals and we therefore didn’t consider him for Durban,” said Erasmus.
“He’s been our first-choice No 5 lock and that’s why he is starting on Saturday.”
With Du Toit named as the loose forward replacement, the talented Marco van Staden has lost his place in the matchday squad after making his debut against the Pumas in Durban last weekend.
Flyhalf Elton Jantjies was again left out of the matchday squad and Erasmus has retained Damian Willemse on the bench where he will cover both fullback and flyhalf.
“I want to build more continuity and those combinations now have another opportunity to play together and gain more experience,” said Erasmus.
The two changes on the bench will see the Boks add some bulk with lock RG Snyman replacing Marvin Orie, who was one of the six players released from the squad prior to the trip.
Tighthead prop Wilco Louw will also get the opportunity to earn his eighth cap after replacing Thomas du Toit, which is seen by Erasmus as a purely rotational switch.
“We’ve always rated the Pumas as a very physical team and we felt the game in Durban was physical. They’re going to step it up and I think they will come hard at our mauling, scrums and the breakdowns,” said Erasmus.
Prop Beast Mtawarira will play in his 103rd Test, thereby surpassing Percy Montgomery (102) on the all-time list of most-capped Boks. He will move into fifth place behind Victor Matfield (127), Habana (124), John Smit (111) and Jean de Villiers (109).
The Springboks travel to Mendoza today from Buenos Aires where they will conclude their match preparations. Mendoza is situated on the eastern side of the Andes Mountains, approximately 750m above sea level, the driving distance between Mendoza and Buenos Aires is 1 050km.