Battle of props set to be key

A massive challenge awaits the Golden Lions in the scrums, with likely starting props Sti Sithole (below) and Jacobie Adriaanse preparing for an immense battle in this weekend’s Currie Cup final against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein.

Sithole was impressive against Griquas in the semifinals last week, while Adriaanse was hoping to end his career on a high, with the veteran player expected to retire after the game.

However, Cheetahs props Ox Nche and Erich de Jager formed a solid front row combination with powerful hooker Joseph Dweba in their semifinal against the Sharks.

“The last few years there has been a lot of opportunities from set scrums, so to have a platform to attack from a little bit is nice,” said Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen.

“It’s good for the outside backs to have a bit of space to work with the ball.”

The Lions lost twice in the round-robin stage of the competition, going down to the Sharks in Durban and falling in a narrow 24-22 defeat to the Cheetahs in their only loss at home, after the visitors had led 19-0 earlier in the game.

“Free State are a very good team and they are tough at home,” Van Rooyen admitted.

“But we’ll take confidence in that we did create a fair bit against Griquas. It’s about polishing it off and finishing our try-scoring opportunities.

“It’s a thing we will definitely work on this week, but we are creative, which is good for us.”

With Marius van der Westhuizen being appointed as the referee for the final, however, the Lions will need to focus on their discipline, which wasn’t on par in the penultimate round.

“One can always work on discipline and decision-making and that is a coachable thing, so we will have a good review of our systems this week,” Van Rooyen said.