It was just a few months ago that Warren Whiteley, Warwick Tecklenburg and Jaco Kriel were the talk of the in-form Lions Super Rugby team, but coach Johan Ackermann isn’t able to call on any one of them right now.
All three are unavailable for tonight’s round four Currie Cup match against the Pumas in Nelspruit and in the case of Tecklenburg he’ll only be back for Super Rugby next year.
Whiteley should be back next week after his expected release from the Springboks, but stand-in captain Kriel’s further participation in the Currie Cup will only be known on Monday after the livewire No6 flank suffered a quadricep injury during his team’s captain’s run at Ellis Park yesterday morning.
“We’ll only know on Monday what the extent of the injury is,” said Ackermann yesterday. “It’s a big blow for us, he’s been in exceptional form and we’ll miss him, but we have to stand up now. Our depth is really being tested, we’re now missing several players who formed part of our team in Super Rugby, but there’s an opportunity for other players to grab their chance.”
Packing down in the backrow this weekend will be Fabian Booysen, at No8, Stephan de Wit at blindside flank and Kwagga Smith at openside.
Other changes to the side that beat the Sharks last week include Jacques van Rooyen coming in at loosehead prop, with Ruan Dreyer shifting to tighthead, while Martin Muller is back in the second row. At the back Ruan Combrinck reverts to fullback to make way for Sampie Mastriet.
In Kriel’s absence, scrum-half Ross Cronje will lead the side.
“I’ve done the job in junior rugby so it’s nothing new to me. Obviously it’s a big loss losing Jaco, who leads by example, but I’ve got a job to do in Nelspruit and all my focus will be on that,” he said.
Cronje will again square off with his Super Rugby teammate Faf de Klerk, who’ll wear the Pumas No9 shirt, and said there’s a good rivalry between the two. “We’re good mates off the field, but when we’re on the field we’ve both got jobs to do and friendship goes out the window. There was a bit of chatter in the previous game (just two weeks ago), as there will be on Friday, but that’s just the way it is.”
Ackermann said his side would have to show plenty of improvement at the Mbombela Stadium if they’re to make it four wins on the trot. “We might have beaten the Sharks and got five points last weekend, but we really weren’t great. We lacked in our intensity and looked quite lacklustre and there was also not enough composure from the players. We’re going to have to show far greater patience against a Pumas side who’ll be very motivated on home soil and at a place where they’ve beaten some big teams in the last few seasons.” - The Star