Both the Lions and Montpellier will have to take a moment to suss each other out and gauge one another’s strengths, when they face-off in a top-of-the-table clash in Matchday 3 of the EPCR Challenge Cup on Saturday night (10pm kick-off).
The Lions have made wholesale changes to the squad that beat the Sharks last weekend in the United Rugby Championship, which was always expected given the nature of their travel itinerary and schedule.
Indeed, only Darrien-lane Landsberg retains his position in the starting XV from that victorious team, with tour captain Jaco Visagie and Morgan Naude promoted from replacements into the front-row, while Ruan Smith holds his place on the bench.
The team is almost identical in look and feel to the one that beat Perpignan 28-12 in December, barring a handful of positional changes. According to Landsberg, that will be one of the strengths of the team.
“As a group,” said the 25-year-old lock, earlier this week, “we’ve come together really nicely.
“The guys are really challenging each other to get to be the best that we possibly can be. It is a massive opportunity to test ourselves against the best players in the world.
“Coming here, the boys really want this challenge. There is a massive statement that we need to prove as a team. We’ve had a good run up until now and we need to continue with that.”
What is arguably slightly more surprising, is that Montpellier have opted to do the same with their selection, making as many as 10 changes to the starting side which beat a much-more fancied Toulon 27-17 a week ago on the domestic front.
After all, Montpellier do not have the toil of travel to concern them, while they are currently sitting first in Pool 2 of the tournament on 10 points with homeground advantage beckoning for the rest of the Challenge Cup.
They will face a group of Lions players desperate to impress, eager to maintain a five-match winning streak across all competitions and searching for the same homeground advantage in the latter stages of the season.
The Lions are second in the pool, just one point behind Montpellier, and the outcome of this match could very well decide who qualifies at the top of the standings, with respect to final pool matches against Benetton and the Ospreys next weekend.
It is arguably a side picked by the Rockroses’ rotational policy, and the need to rest key players for Top 14 survival, as head coach Patrice Collazo exercises his right to award gametime to several of his players, while also handing club debuts out to loose-forwards in veteran Clement Doumac and youngster Mael Perrin.
The pairing of Springboks and World Cup-winning scrumhalf Cobus Reinach and the irrepressible Italian flyhalf Paolo Garbisi pose the imminent danger.
So, too, does the midfield-paring of Jan Serfontein and Geoffrey Doumayrou.
The Lions, however, will attempt to eliminate them from the equation by focusing their gameplan on dominating up-front and opting for a kicking game. It was a strategy that paid off handsomely against Perpignan.
Earlier this week, Lions assistant coach Barend Pieterse made it clear that this will, in all likelihood, be the approach once again on what will be a tragically cold evening in the Mediterranean city.
Said Pieterse: “They’ve got big forwards. Our main challenge, I think, is going to be up-front with the players they have ... Like in any match, you have challenges.
“A big focus from us will be from a forwards’ point of view. We need to be clinical in how we manage our game and in which areas we play …
“We must stand up physically against their forwards and where we are playing.
“We don’t want to play from everywhere on the field, so territory is going to be very important for us.”
Lions team:
15 Andries Coetzee, 14 Stean Pienaar, 13 Erich Cronje, 12 Rynhardt Jonker, 11 Boldwin Hansen, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Nico Steyn; 8 Hanru Sirgel, 7 Izan Esterhuizen, 6 JC Pretorius, 5 Darrien Landsberg, 4 Etienne Oosthuizen, 3 Conrad van Vuuren, 2 Jaco Visagie (capt) 1 Morgan Naude.
Replacements: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 Corne Fourie, 18 Ruan Smith, 19 Raynard Roets, 20 Ruhan Straeuli, 21 Travis Gordan, 22 Johan Mulder, 23 Gianni Lombard.
IOL Sport