Bulls, Lions out to bury off-field woes in crucial Currie Cup clash

Latica Nela in action for the Lions against the Pumas. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images The Lions and Bulls will both want an emphatic win in their Currie Cup clash on Saturday to put their off-field issues behind them. The teams meet at the University of Johannesburg (UJ) Stadium in the suburb of Westdene after the Lions drew less than 1,000 spectators at the 62,000-capacity Ellis Park during their52-19 victory over the Pumaslast week.

Failure to draw crowds at the stadium in the crime-affected inner city has been an enduring problem for the Joburg union. Their temporary fix is to play the next two Currie Cup matches at UJ Stadium. However, even if these events attract huge audiences, as Lions CEO Rudolf Straeuli hopes, hetold Rugby 365that they will return to Ellis Park for the All Blacks fixture on 25 August and the Stormers Currie Cup match on 28 August, renewing efforts to draw crowds “through strategic marketing and collaborations”.

He said Ellis Park would always be the Lions’ home. The back-to-back runners-up bounced back well after their29-27 defeat to the Cheetahsin Bloemfontein in the first round, which they lost closely despite fielding13 debutants. They are third on the log and already look like hot contenders along with the Cheetahs and Boland Cavaliers.

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Likhona Finca and Junior Boks players,fullback Gilermo Mentoe and scrumhalf Asad Moos, are players to watch. The Bulls, meanwhile, sit bottom of the table after a24-10 defeat to Bolandin Wellington and a56-26 loss to Griquasin Kimberley.

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