Unlucky 13 but it might be the break Hanekom needs
THE obvious choice to fill the No13 jersey is Stokkies Hanekom, but Lions boss Johan Ackermann actually has a number of options available to him.
Hanekom, who can play at both 12 and 13, was the midfield replacement against the Pumas last weekend and should be named in the starting team against the Sharks this week in place of the injured Harold Vorster.
Vorster’s season-ending injury – a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee – could not have come at a worse time for the 21-year-old and his team. He’d formed a good partnership with Howard Mnisi and before that with Lionel Mapoe.
But now with Vorster out for the year and Mapoe set to play in Japan for Kubota Spears until February next season – if he isn’t in the Springbok squad for the World Cup – Ackermann will have to find a new midfield pairing for the remainder of the Currie Cup season.
With Mnisi having locked down the No12 jersey, Hanekom will be front in line to take over at 13, but Ackermann could consider a few alternatives. The highly experienced Alwyn Hollenbach can slot in quite comfortably, but there will always be concerns about his fitness, while Jaco van der Walt and Ruan Combrink will also be players Ackermann may consider.
Regular fullback Andries Coetzee, who is progressing well after injuring his toe in the build-up to the Currie Cup, is set to return to action in the middle of next month and will also be a candidate to play in midfield.
The Lions, with two five-point hauls from their opening two games, sit alongside the Blue Bulls at the top of the points table at the moment. They’ve so far got the better of the EP Kings and the Pumas, but face arguably their toughest test yet when they face the Sharks in Durban on Saturday. Gary Gold’s Sharks will be a little desperate going into the game, having struggled to get past the Kings last weekend and lost to the Pumas in round one.
Ackermann will name his team today.
Meanwhile, Cheetahs boss Franco Smith has again been forced to make several changes to his team for their match against Griquas in Kimberley tomorrow.
Injuries to fullback AJ Coertzen (ankle) and flanker Boom Prinsloo (jaw) mean the Cheetahs will be a changed side for the third week in a row. With Clayton Blommetjies shifting from wing to fullback, former EP Kings flyer Sergeal Petersen comes into the side for his first start, while Gerhard Olivier takes over from Prinsloo at flank.
The Cheetahs, and Smith, are still looking for their first win in the competition having earlier lost to the Bulls and Western Province.