Lions captain Francke Horn is leading The Pride through a purple patch. The last time the Lions and Bulls met in the United Rugby Championship, the men from Pretoria were hot favourites, but that will not be the case in Saturday’s return match at Ellis Park. It was in late November that the Lions shocked the Bulls 43-33 at Loftus Versfeld to precipitate a horror losing streak for Johan Ackermann’s charges, while the Lions have gone from strength to strength.
Francke Horn’s men sit in seventh place on the URC log. They are unaccustomed to being in such a lofty place but deserve their position because of some gritty away performances, including a gutsy defeat of the Sharks in Durban. The Lions are hardly the finished article, but they are vastly improved in their set pieces — their forwards were excellent in the overseas draws with the Ospreys and Perpignan.
Since the last Jukskei derby, the Bulls endured a slump but bottomed out and have won their last two fixtures, courageously beating Edinburgh and Pau overseas. The Bulls will take serious Springbok firepower to Ellis Park, with Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, and Wilco Louw spearheading their pack, while Handré Pollard will bring composed direction at the back. Pollard’s duel with the man he replaced at the Bulls, Chris Smit, will be fascinating.
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The latter has played a significant role in the Lions’ improved performances this season. This game is shaping up to be a classic. While most are tipping the Bulls, the Lions will be quietly confident.
Don’t be surprised if this game ends in a draw. 15 Devon Williams, 14 Stravino Jacobs, 13 Stedman Gans, 12 Harold Vorster, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Jeandre Rudolph, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Marcell Coetzee (captain), 5 Reinhardt Ludwig, 4 Ruan Vermaak, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Jan-Hendrik Wessels. Assistant referees:Aimee Barrett-Theron (South Africa), Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)
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