Mitch backs domestic heroes

Mitch backs domestic heroes

24 Jan 2012

John Mitchell has selected a side that strongly resembles the 2011 Currie Cup winners for Friday’s pre-season game against the Stormers.

Lionel Mapoe is back from injury and will slot in at centre while Butch James starts at No 10 to offset the loss of the injured Elton Jantjies. The other change sees newcomer Hendrik Roodt installed at No 4 lock.

Otherwise it is a side that played the majority of the 2011 season together and enjoyed some success in the Currie Cup. The coming season will reveal just how much the team has progressed and whether they have the means to challenge for a top six place.

Lions – 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Deon Van Rensburg, 13 Lionel Mapoe, 12 Doppies La Grange, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Butch James, 9 Michael Bondesio, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Joshua Strauss (c), 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Franco Van der Merwe, 4 Hendrik Roodt, 3 Patric Cilliers, 2 Bandise Maku, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Subs: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Caylib Oosthuizen, 18 Jacobie Adriaanse, 19 Stephan Greeff, 20 Ruan Botha, 21 Cobus Grobbelaar, 22 Doppies Le Roux, 23 Anthony Volminc, 24 Dylan Des Fountain, 25 James Kamana, 26 Andries Coetzee.


32 Comments

  • 1.ufo: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 13:56 pm

    strong herd of dragons…

  • 2.kaksioek: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 13:57 pm

    Butch starting – interesting. Where is Elton?

  • 3.kaksioek: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 13:58 pm

    Injured, I see.

  • 4.puff: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 13:58 pm

    Info on Ruan Botha, Doppies Le Roux, Anthony Volminc and Andries Coetzee, please.
    Anyone?
    With Murray out for the season, Mitch and Spence are right to try Mapoe at 13 now.
    Glad to see Whitely getting a starting run.

  • 5.puff: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 13:58 pm

    @kaksioek-2:
    Nursing a niggle.

  • 6.ufo: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 13:59 pm

    hmmmm… reckon the currie cup champs have to be favorites for this game…!!

    we only beat them at newlands last year by a last minute penalty… gonna be very different on friday…

  • 7.grant10: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:05 pm

    nice balanced team.

    we know they will be fit

    and well coached

    and they have Minnie at the breakdown…..

  • 8.stew: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:09 pm

    Go the Lions – time to roar

  • 9.puff: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:13 pm

    @grant10-7:

    Sure but a few key injruies could cost them as there is not enough depth and it is a long competition.

  • 10.Lions_Soutie: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:13 pm

    Hopefully I-wanna-be-a-wallabie Roodt brings some much-needed fire to the engineroom!

    I am very excited for a new era in South African rugby!

  • 11.puff: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:14 pm

    Experienced depth, I should say.

  • 12.puff: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:17 pm

    @Lions_Soutie-10:

    I think he suffered from a lack of fitness in the past.
    But if anyone can get him right in that regard it’s Mitchell.

  • 13.au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir...: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:43 pm

    @puff-5:
    for a minute there i thought you said ‘nursing a giggle’

  • 14.stormersboy: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:52 pm

    Good team.

    Hollenbach is missing as is Van Heerden.

    But otherwise it’s a very good looking unit.

    Let us see. They looked good last year. beat the Sharks even, if you’ll recall.

  • 15.grant10: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 14:59 pm

    CC Champs VS SA Conference winners….

    Will be interesting

    Is it being televised?

  • 16.HHS: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 15:04 pm

    @stormersboy-14: Don’t forget the head hunter Rhodes.

    @grant10-15: Nope… only the Cheetah/Stormers game. Now you have to go and watch :)

  • 17.willievz: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 15:07 pm

    @grant10-7: Sounds like a winning recipe to me…

  • 18.stormersboy: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 15:08 pm

    @grant10-15: Nope. Just the Cheetahs game next week.

  • 19.stormersboy: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 15:09 pm

    @HHS-16: Yes I didn’t always rate him but he’s fitted in really well at the Lions.

  • 20.grant10: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 15:22 pm

    @HHS-16: fark….you right

  • 21.Bok fan: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 15:33 pm

    Nice looking team, pity about the bench

  • 22.Baylion: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 16:11 pm

    @puff-4:

    Ruan Botha – u/210 lock (released from the Bok u/20 squad to practice with the Lions

    Doppies Le Roux – Pumas flank
    Anthony Volminc – u/21 wing (ex-Boland u/21)
    Andries Coetzee – u/21 utility back

  • 23.bryce_in_oz: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 16:26 pm

    2 POC’s in the 26… interesting…

    The 22 should gel considering the amount of games together now… Stormers won’t really have that luxury…

    More interested in seeing if the two young locks in Botha and Greeff get some game-time and how they go before the ‘real-deal’ competition starts…

  • 24.>^..^< katman: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 16:37 pm

    Plenty new faces on the bench, but that starting 15 is kookwater.

    Where are Hollenbach and Rhodes?

  • 25.RL: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 17:01 pm

    @Baylion-22:

    Visage, Oosthuizen, Botha, le Roux, Volminc and Coetzee are not part of the elite 30 man super squad they are fringe players along with Coetzer (lock) B. Moolman (centre) and Cronje x2 (flyhalfs).

    Mitch has got some good u21 talent available to him. I would love to see him unleash those giant enforcer locks that he has …. imagine a 135 kg Kobus Wiese sized monster running over sharkievarkies.

  • 26.RL: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 17:09 pm

    @>^..^< katman-24:

    Also not there is CJ vd Linde, Murray, Jantjies and Wikus … all being rested I suppose.

  • 27.RL: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 17:15 pm

    and 2nd choice hooker, Bezuidenhout not there either …. so 7 players missing from the elite squad.

    What ever happened to Maratule (sp) … did Mitch cut him?

  • 28.RL: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 17:30 pm

    add the reserve scrumhalfs to that list of missing elite players then it takes it to 9 super players missing from this experimental team … so don’t larf at the bench when there is a huge chunk of the elite squad not there.

  • 29.Tuna: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 19:34 pm

    @>^..^< katman-24: Both injured. Rhodes only started to run today.

    @RL-27: He had a bad injury last year. Probably still busy with rehab.

  • 30.Chris4Lions: Reply to this comment
    24 Jan 2012, 19:50 pm

    Hi all

    I cant wait for the season to start.
    Lions will roll the Stormers Friday even though 7 first choice players are not selected to play.
    The Lions can top the conference log this year, the three week break will help and the end of the campaign, and there is a lot of hungry young talent. If the Lions can finish 1st or second in the conference then i will be a very happy supporter.

  • 31.Sasuke: Reply to this comment
    25 Jan 2012, 07:55 am

    It will be interesting to see Hendrik Roodt up against Eben Etzebeth- two giants of the game,

  • 32.gr8 white: Reply to this comment
    25 Jan 2012, 10:29 am

    Bunch of dreamers – will fight it out for a place in the bottom 4 again this season!

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