When the fixtures for the 2016 Super Rugby season came out the Lions would have been a very happy bunch seeing the Kings and Jaguares as their last two games. They’d usually back themselves to win those matches, with bonus points.
But what the Lions didn’t know at the start of the season is that with two games to go they’d be their conference winners, and guaranteed a home quarter-final match, and in line to finish the regular season top of the overall log, giving themselves a home run-in for the semi-finals and final.
All of a sudden the Lions, and especially the coaching team of Johan Ackermann, have a few different, and difficult, decisions to make about the way forward in the next month. Ten points from their remaining two games is what they’ll be after - but Ackermann knows he’ll need a fit and fresh squad for the play-offs. Does that mean he’ll rest key players for the trip to Buenos Aires and risk coming unstuck and losing the advantage the team have worked so hard to get right now?
That’s the big decision awaiting the Lions tomorrow and Sunday, but before then they must do the business against the Kings tonight. If they don’t get the five log points at Ellis Park this evening then they can just about kiss goodbye their chances of ending top of the pile.
Now on any other day the Lions would be favourites to topple the Kings, especially when taking into account the seasons the two sides have had, but Ackermann’s men are in a situation they have, collectively, not experienced before; that is being conference winners and leaders of Super Rugby. It’s the mental aspect of tonight’s game that will challenge the Lions players the most, but if they settle quickly and get into their stride they should have no problem against the Kings.
Ackermann’s men are in ‘heaven’ right now, with their destiny firmly in their own hands, and not too many teams would have a chance of causing an upset at Ellis Park. The Lions though need another big, strong effort to further strengthen their log position, but at the same time Ackermann won’t want to see any of his key players picking up an injury.
Already the Lions are without Warren Whiteley and they will not want to lose any more men before the quarter-finals. The Lions must tread carefully ... it’s a game they dare not slip up in.
TEAMS
Lions STARTING XV: Andries Coetzee, Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Courtnall Skosan, Elton Jantjies, Faf de Klerk, Ruan Ackermann, Warwick Tecklenburg, Jaco Kriel (capt), Franco Mostert, Andries Ferreira, Julian Redelinghuys, Malcolm Marx, Dylan Smith; Replacements: Armand van der Merwe, Corne Fourie, Jacques van Rooyen, Lourens Erasmus, Cyle Brink, Ross Cronje, Howard Mnisi, Sylvian Mahuza
Kings STARTING XV: Malcolm Jaer, Lukhanyo Am, Stefan Watermeyer, Shane Gates, Wandile Mjekevu, Louis Fouche, James Hall, Aidon Davis, Stefan Willemse, Andisa Ntsila, JC Astle, Schalk Oelofse, Jacobie Adriaanse, Edgar Marutlulle (capt), Sti Sithole; Replacements: Martin Bezuidenhout, Schalk Ferreira, Tom Botha, Sintu Manjezi, Jacques Engelbrecht, Ntando Kebe, Dewald Human, Jeremy Ward - The Star