Morgan Bolton
The Emirates Lions return to Europe this week in what could arguably be a season-defining fortnight.
The next block of four matches – two of them on the other side of the world – could possibly have a major impact on the Joburgers ambitions. Several areas within the Lions’ systems – squad depth the foremost – will be stress tested. Logistics and player management will also come under intense scrutiny as coach Ivan van Rooyen and Co consider their options in games against Munster, the Ospreys, Pau and the Stormers.
The Fidelity ADT Currie Cup Award winners are as follows:
🏆 Player of the Year: Jarod Cairns
💪 Forward of the Year: Renzo Du Plessis
⚡ Backline Player of the Year: Rynhardt Jonker
🔥 Breakthrough Player of the Year: RF Schoeman
#LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/fR1sxEFJUN
The first two are in Limerick and Swansea, respectively, the former a United Rugby Championship (URC encounter), the latter an EPCR Challenge Cup clash. Thereafter, the Lions will have to rush home for French outfit Pau, also in the Challenge Cup, before finishing up the year against the Stormers in Cape Town in the URC.
The schedule between the Ospreys and Pau, in particular, has a tight turnaround and a lot of travel. It is quite possible that this Saturday, Van Rooyen will select his first-choice 23, then have the bulk of them return to prepare for Pau and the Stormers, selecting a “B-team” to face the Welsh franchise.
The Bulls and Jake White face a similar conundrum with games against Connacht in the URC and Saracens away, before returning to Loftus Versfeld for a mid-December clash against Northampton Saints (both in the Champions Cup) and a final URC game for the year against the Sharks in Durban.
For his part, Van Rooyen is confident that the most important criteria for the coming weeks – squad depth – is robust enough to make the next month a successful one, while dropping a hint or two regarding logistics and player management.
The Fidelity ADT Currie Cup Award winners are as follows:
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) November 22, 2024
🏆 Player of the Year: Jarod Cairns
💪 Forward of the Year: Renzo Du Plessis
⚡ Backline Player of the Year: Rynhardt Jonker
🔥 Breakthrough Player of the Year: RF Schoeman
#LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/fR1sxEFJUN
Said the coach, last week, at the Lions’ Awards evening: “We feel we have a squad that we can rotate for both competitions.
“We want to pick as good as we can at home. We picked a side against Montpellier and Perpignan away in which we won the one and the other we lost by five points. The group that played the Currie Cup played for a reason as well, to get playing and get fit and get ready so that we can use them.
“Players like Renzo (du Plessis), Jarod (Cairns), Nico (Steyn) and all of them, showed what the Currie Cup did for them. I don't want to use the word rotate, it sounds demeaning. We feel the squad is a lot closer and that the difference between players one, two, and three is really minimal.
“There is an opportunity in this block to use the squad … The Sharks also showed that if you concentrate on one competition, you probably have a better chance. For now, we are probably going to go full guns for both.”
The Lions are currently fourth in the URC standings on 18 points. They are one point behind the leading SA franchise, the Bulls, and a further four points behind defending champions Glasgow Warriors. They trial runaway leaders Leinster – on 29 points – by 11 points.
This weekend they face a Red Army in flux. Munster recently sacked head coach Graham Rowntree after a poor run of results left them 12th in the standings, and could be without several key Ireland internationals, too. Van Rooyen, however, remained wary of what would be a distressed outfit.
“Any team that is going through change, get closer together,” he explained.
“Graham, unfortunately, left but if you look at their performance against the All Blacks XV two weeks ago (a 38-24 defeat), you can see a physical approach and a good kicking game. We know they want to play Test match rugby against us.
“My gut feel tells me one or two Irish players will probably play for them … The weekend after that, they are playing in Europe and we know the Irish teams are really going full guns there. It probably won’t be full strength but they will only be missing three or four guys.
“They are a proud team in Limerick and they have been under pressure, so I think they will be really desperate,” he concluded.
The Lions are expected to depart for Ireland tomorrow, with the finer squad details finalised today.