Super Rugby time again

Lions (Last year: Second)

The men from Jozi will be hard pushed to repeat their heroics of last year, when they reached their third straight final but retained the dreaded bridesmaid tag. There’s a notion that the other three South African franchises - the Sharks, Bulls and Stormers – will put a lot of pressure on the Lions, along with the Jaguares, to ensure they don’t run away with the show again. The Lions have lost some key personnel in Springbok lock Franco Mostert and prop Ruan Dreyer, while another stalwart prop Jacques van Rooyen is also gone. Flank Jaco Kriel and centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg have also departed the scene, but they were injured for the majority of last year’s campaign. The Lions have retained the spine of their team, however, in the form of No 8 Warren Whiteley, hooker Malcolm Marx, scrumhalf Ross Cronje, flyhalf Elton Jantjies and exciting winger Aphiwe Dyantyi. The Lions start off with two tough away games against the Jaguares and the Stormers before they play a series of home matches starting with fixtures against the Bulls and the Jaguares. Coach Swys de Bruin, in his first year as head coach, and his inexperienced coaching staff defied all odds last season by reaching the final and they will once again be confident of putting up a fight. Their potential weaknesses lie at prop and lock, and if they can overcome these areas of concern they could again be among of the front-runners.

Player to watch: Warren Whiteley: They need their charismatic captain to stay injury-free, as it has been proven they are not the same team without his leadership and vision of the game. Injuries forced Whiteley to miss large parts of the last two campaigns which had an influence on their performances.

Predicted Finish: Fourth

Stormers (Last year: 11th)

The Capetonians would have been extremely disappointed with their lowly finish last season, but they may have the personnel to vastly improve on that performance. A franchise loaded with Bok players like national skipper and flank Siya Kolisi, lock Eben Etzebeth, flank Pieter-Steph du Toit and props Steven Kitshoff and Frans Malherbe should provide better results. In a World Cup year, however, their team selections could also be influenced by national players being managed and rested at key periods before the showpiece later this season in Japan. The off-field turmoil could also have an influence on the team’s morale, while they have to address their poor away record before they can start dreaming of any playoff scenarios. The Stormers are faced with local derbies in their first three matches against the Bulls away, the Lions at home and the Sharks away. After a bye, they then host the Jaguares before their tough away trip starts against the Hurricanes on March 23, followed by matches against the Blues, Reds and Rebels. The Stormers boasted a good home record at Newlands last season but losing all eight of their away matches didn’t help their cause at all. They have lost the services of wing Raymond Rhule, scrumhalf Dewald Duvenhage, No 8 Nizaam Carr and prop JC Janse van Rensburg, but they have gained prop Corne Fourie from the Lions and centre Ruhan Nel from the national Sevens team. Player to watch: Pieter-Steph du Toit: The move from lock to flank has seen the Bok star progress from a good player to a great player. Recently named the SA Player of the Year, he was a consistent performer for both the Stormers and the Boks last season, but he will need more support from his team-mates in this year’s campaign.

Projected finish: Eighth

Sharks (Last year: 8th)

The Sharks face a make-or-break season as coach Robert du Preez, having won the Currie Cup, now tries to get a squad that has been together for three years to reach their potential and challenge for Super Rugby honours. Last year they scraped into the play-offs, but there was little chance of them going any further than their quarterfinal against the Crusaders in Christchurch, where they were duly hammered 40-10. Expectations are high in Durban but the Sharks begin their campaign in Singapore, taking on the Sunwolves in what are always tough conditions for visiting teams. They then return home to tackle a Blues side that will be desperate to make a mark this year after finishing second last in 2018. The Sharks then face two crucial games against SA Conference sides when they host the Stormers at Kings Park and then visit the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld. The Sharks have the personnel to improve on last year’s showing, but they need to resolve the tensions that are evident in how they want to play – Du Preez has spoken often enough about an expansive game-plan, but somehow his team always seem to revert to conservative type under pressure. And they then still need to improve their execution.

Player to watch: Lukhanyo Am: The 25-year-old Bok is a top-class outside centre and has a key role to play for the Sharks because he is so integral to their game both in terms of attack and defence. With inside centre Andre Esterhuizen and both halfbacks being of a more conservative vein, Am, with his eye for the gap and slick ball-skills, will be relied upon to bring some attacking flair and get the best out of an exciting back three. Defensively, he is also a key organiser and the Sharks will not want to lose the steel they showed last year without the ball.

Predicted finish: 7th