Who will take the Lions to victory?
THE Emirates Lions name their matchday 23 to play in their opening Vodacom United Rugby Championship (URC) match against Italian outfit Zebre today.
Here, Morgan Bolton selects the starting XV he believes should have the honour of kicking off the new-look tournament tomorrow at 6.35pm.
FULLBACK: I would dearly love to see Divan Rossouw afforded a greater opportunity going forward, but it seems that the powers that be in Doornfontein have cosigned the 25-year-old to role of utility-back. Without the services of Tiaan Swanepoel, that means EW Viljoen will don the No 15 jumper. The 26-year old has yet to fully impress though, and his performances so far have been more average than spectacular. The URC then, is his time to finally show what he is made of.
My pick: EW Viljoen
WINGS: One of the easier departments to select, especially now that Springbok Courtnall Skosan has left the union. Rabz Maxwane was the top try-scorer in Pro Rugby in 2019 and the speedster is an automatic selection when fit. Stean Pienaar, meanwhile, offers a physical presence at the bookend of the backline, and a mature temperament to boot.
My picks: Stean Pienaar and Rabz Maxwane
CENTRES: The Lions certainly have X-factor at outside centre with Wandisile Simelane, and the 23-yearold will slot in as an important playmaker for the team. Burger Odendaal, meanwhile, is powerful and tireless and when he gets going, commits the opposition in tackles, while generating front-foot ball. He should also captained the side, in my opinion. It is an easy selection.
My picks: Wandisile Simelane and Burger Odendaal
HALF-BACKS: Morne van den Berg would be my first pick at scrumhalf, to be honest, such is his frantic nature, unpredictability and speed of play. In recent matches, however, he has suffered from a loss of form and has perhaps been over-coached and he seems to have lost some of the dynamism. Enter Andre Warner, who has been tireless and arguably one of the Lions’ better players. Calm and confident, he has all the tools to take hold of a match and control it. There is only one real selection at flyhalf: Jordan Hendrikse. The young No 10 showed in the Rainbow Cup and Currie Cup that he is a future star and player to watch.
My picks: Jordan Hendrikse and Andre Warner
LOOSE-FORWARDS: This is the one area where the Lions have an embarrassment of riches. Save for veteran Jaco Kriel, all of their players are young and dynamic and will one day ascend to greater honours. Vincent Tshituka is one such player, and if the DRC-born player was eligible to play for SA, you’d expect that he would already be in the Springbok set-up.
My picks: Francke Horn, Vincent Tshituka and Jaco Kriel
LOCKS: The departure of Marvin Orie has had a tangible impact on the second-row, but the players left at the Lions have done their utmost best to fill his shoes.
The touring squad does not have the luxury of selecting the ’Bone Collector’ Willem Alberts, so the responsibility at lock will fall squarely on Wilhelm van der Sluys, Ruben Schoeman, Reinhardt Nothnagel, Pieter Jansen van Vuren and Emmanuel Tshituka. This is arguably the toughest selection pool to pick from, and there will probably be a lot of chopping and changing during the URC.
My picks: Ruben Schoeman and Wilhelm van der Sluys
FRONT ROW: Coach Ivan van Rooyen can select from PJ Both, Ruan Dreyer, Jannie du Plessis, Morgan Naude and Asenathi Ntlabakanye, but there is only really one trio to select … nuff said …
My picks: Carlu Sadie, Jaco Visagie and Sti Sithole