Johannesburg — The Lions will once again have to show “immense effort” and exhibit their fighting character as well, if they are to overcome Glasgow Warriors this weekend.
The Joburgers will compete against one of the in-form teams in the United Rugby Championship when they face Warriors in the quarter-finals of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday night at Scotstoun Stadium (kick-off 9pm). The returning Jaco Kriel, who replaces the banned Emmanuel Tshituka, in the starting XV for the match, is under no illusion how tough the assignment will be.
“(Saturday) is going to be one heck of a game,” said Kriel on Friday shortly after the team announcement.
“Coach Franco Smith already warned in the press that they made a lot of mistakes in the win against Dragons (a 73-33 demolition of the Welsh franchise). The performance they showcased there was just amazing.
“We are going to have to be up for it, but it is knockout rugby, and anything can happen. We are going to stick to our processes and control what we can control.
“Nobody can say what the result will be … it is going to be a massive challenge.”
Lions legend Kriel is one of two changes to the run on team for the Lions, the other sees Ruben Schoeman return to the second-row after Reinhard Nothnagel’s cheek injury last weekend.
Said Kriel: “It is good to be back in the matchday 23.
“It is always nice to be out on the field with the boys. It will be my first game in five weeks. The previous time I played was also against Glasgow … It is going to be a massive clash. They are the in-form team now, so it is a good one to Test yourself against.”
The Lions are on a four match winning streak after previous battles in form earlier this year. They have revived their season with victories over the Warriors, Bulls, Benetton and most recently, Racing 92. This character to bounce back from a difficult period on and off the field has impressed Kriel immensely.
“The growth in the squad has been amazing over the last couple of months,” the Springbok said.
“The last couple of games have been amazing, The way the boys showed character is always good to see.
“Nothing will ever be perfect on a rugby pitch but one thing you must never doubt is the effort. In the last couple of games, the boys have shown immense effort under pressure.
“It is good to see, and especially with our 14-man win over Racing last week, it was immense to see. It makes me proud as a senior player to see those juniors put up their hands and play amazing rugby.”
Emirates Lions Starting XV: 15 Quan Horn, 14 Rabz Maxwane, 13 Manny Rass, 12 Marius Louw (capt), 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Gianni Lombard, 9 Sanele Nohamba, 8 Francke Horn, 7 Ruan Venter, 6 Jaco Kriel, 5 Ruben Schoeman, 4 Willem Alberts, 3 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 2 PJ Botha, 1 JP Smith;
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Rhynardt Rijnsburger, 18 Ruan Dreyer, 19 Ruan Delport, 20 Travis Gordon, 21 Morné van den Berg, 22 Rynhardt Jonker, 23 Andries Coetzee
IOL Sport