The Lions’ quest of making the Super Rugby play-offs just got a little tougher now that hooker Robbie Coetzee will miss his team’s remaining round-robin games.
The Springbok tourist from last November will sit out his team’s final two league games – against the Waratahs this weekend and the Stormers next Saturday – after yesterday being handed a four-week, three-match ban.
Because the Lions have a bye on the final weekend of Super Rugby league action, Coetzee will also miss the “quarter-final” match should his team progress to the play-off phase.
He will only be able to play again after Saturday, June 20.
Coetzee was suspended after appearing before a judicial committee yesterday following his yellow carding for a tip tackle on Cheetahs player Rayno Benjamin last Saturday.
The Lions won the match in Bloemfontein to move to seventh in the points table and will have to win their remaining two games if they’re to have a chance of playing in the knockout rounds for the first time.
It is expected that Armand van der Merwe will move into the No2 jersey this weekend, with coach Johan Ackermann having to decide between Malcolm Marx and Mark Pretorius as the back-up hooker.
“Losing Robbie is a big blow,” said Ackermann.
“He made a few mistakes against the Cheetahs, but his overall game was very good. His set-pieces were especially strong and it’s unfortunate we’ll now have to do without him.”
Ackermann described the challenge awaiting his team as “massive”.
“With their (The Waratahs) win against the Crusaders (last weekend) they showed they’re a form team and are keen to defend the title they won last year.
“They’ve got an international backline, with genuine game-breakers, while up-front they like to be physical and take the game to the opposition.
“Overall, I like their style of rugby and I like their coach (Michael Cheika) ... they’re a really good team, with few weaknesses, so it’s going to be a really big test for us. It’s going to be a massively physical game.”
It’s not only the Lions though who’ve had disciplinary issues in the last few days. The Waratahs are likely to be without two key players for the match at Ellis Park.
Lock Will Skelton and hooker Silatolu Latu have been banned for two and four weeks respectively for the same offence committed by Coetzee.
Both men have, however, appealed the outcomes of their hearings, with the cases to be heard this evening (SA time).
The Lions will have to beat the Waratahs and Stormers and hope the Capetonians come unstuck on two occasions in their final three games to qualify for the play-offs, while the Waratahs – the current Australian Conference leaders and in second place overall – will also play the Cheetahs before heading back to Sydney to finish with a match against the Reds. - The Star