‘Lions ready to roar against Zebre in URC’
After a woeful Currie Cup campaign, the Lions plan to hit the ground running when they start their United Rugby Championship campaign against Italian outfit Zebre today (kickoff 6.35pm).
In the wake of a lacklustre season, the Lions retained the services of head coach Ivan van Rooyen but brought in new assistants to help get the team back on its feet.
After the previous assistants were axed, former Boks Ricardo Loubscher, Jaque Fourie and Albert van den Berg were roped in.
“We are not going into a Currie Cup again. We are going into an international competition,” Fourie said.
“After the Currie Cup it was only two weeks before we left for Italy and it does make preparations challenging.
“However, for us the basic stuff stays the same, with a tweak here and there.
“We tried to keep most of the stuff the same because loads of changes will be disruptive.
“We had to make sure everyone is on the same page and determine our goals for the next few weeks.
“I think we really want to kick off our first match with a positive win.
“The games we have been watching of Zebre were played a very long time ago, so we are entering the unknown.
“We don’t know if Zebre have made any squad changes.
“But we are focusing on ourselves, our structures and what we want to do and what we want to achieve.”
Van Rooyen will be able to pick from several stalwarts of the union, while also bringing in youngsters on the European tour.
The veterans include Jaco
Kriel, Ruan Dreyer, Jannie du Plessis, Sti Sithole, Burger Odendaal, Jaco Visagie and Jamba Ulengo.
Young players looking to
come to the fore in Europe are Wandisile Simelane, Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka, Sibusiso Sangweni, Jordan Hendrikse and Morne
van den Berg. Meanwhile, Irish giants Leinster are looking forward to the challenge of playing SA’s form team the Bulls in their opening
match in Dublin on Saturday, assistant coach Felipe Contepomi says.
The showdown between these northern and southern hemisphere powerhouse teams is the standout fixture on the opening weekend of the new tournament.
Apart from winning the URC title, SA teams can also put themselves in line for berths in the Champions Cup next year if they finish in the top eight teams on the 16-team log.
“It’s a big challenge facing the Bulls,” Contepomi said.
“They are definitely the team in form in South Africa.
“They play really good rugby and they are really well coached. I think it’s a big challenge for us.
“They are the new addition to this competition and playing against the reigning Currie Cup champions, that is a great challenge for us.”
Contepomi said that with many players available and fighting for selection, it would boost Leinster’s chances.
“We always want to field the strongest team we have,” he said.
“It’s just about reintegrating them into training.
“We need to make sure they are fit and ready to succeed. That’s how we want to prepare them.”
Fixtures:
Friday: Zebre v Emirates Lions (Parma, 18.35), Cardiff Blues v Connacht (Cardiff, 20.35), Ulster v Glasgow Warriors (Belfast, 20.35).
Saturday: Benetton v Stormers (Treviso,14.00), Leinster v Bulls (Dublin, 18.15), Edinburgh v Scarlets (Edinburgh, 18.15), Munster v Sharks (Limerick, 20.35).