The Emirates Lions are set to receive a massive boost ahead of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship derby against the DHL Stormers in Cape Town this week, with the news that two of their biggest stars are set to return.
Defence coach Jaque Fourie confirmed that Springbok fullback Quan Horn and midfielder Henco van Wyk both are fit and ready to be selected, meaning the Lions will head to Cape Town at close to full strength.
Both are key players in the Lions’ line-up and with the Stormers getting a number of their Boks back from injury, it sets up an intriguing clash in Cape Town ahead of the festive week.
“Everyone is healthy and doing well. The only guy who won’t be available for this weekend is Richard Kriel, but everyone else is eligible and ready to play,” Fourie confirmed, with a smile on his face.
The game is the last of the year for the Lions, as both they and the Vodacom Bulls have decided to postpone their last game of the year until late in January, meaning the players of both teams are likely to go on a 10-day break, before returning in the new year to prepare for their final two EPCR Challenge Cup pool matches where they will head to France to play Montpellier and then return home to face Welsh side Dragons in January.
Fourie isn’t happy about the team’s defence this season, and wants the Lions to place a marker in Cape Town to show they can stop teams with a good attack.
The Lions started the season exceptionally well, but since then have slumped, losing back to back games against Leinster and Munster, then suffering a poor loss to Ospreys in the EPCR Challenge Cup before returning home to beat French side Section Pauloise (Pau) in their second game.
But in each game, the brittle defence was something that was a major factor in the scoreline and Fourie, being the defence coach, was never going to be happy with that.
“The last few weeks have been disappointing with the amount of tries we have conceded against the four teams” he explained, blaming individual errors rather than the system.
“Individual errors have cost us, especially when it comes to our discipline. If you give the opposition penalty opportunities, they are going to kick for the corner and maul. It has been very disappointing, but this week we want to get back to how we started the season with a solid defence.
“It was important to get back to the Lions way with a win against Pau, we don’t have any excuses for our losses in the previous couple of weeks.”
Fourie added the Lions would not go away from their DNA, and that the fast Cape Town outfield at this time of year is something they are relishing, especially given the importance of the log points on the rest of the season.
“We are not going to stray from the way we want to play. We will run with the ball and play in the right areas of the field; nothing is going to change for us. Last year when we played against the Stormers there were glimpses of what we want to show in Cape Town on Saturday.”
The Lions will name their side for the clash on Friday.