Lions ready for new era
15 Jan 2013
Johan Ackermann believes the Lions’ friendly matches will ensure that they are well prepared for their Super Rugby promotion-relegation tie.
In 2013 the South African rugby fraternity will witness a new-look Lions outfit play against an unique selection of opposition, which includes Samoa, Namibia, and French minnows Mont-de-Marsan and Grenoble. Heck, there’s even the Chicago Lions, one of the top clubs in the USA.
Their campaign (dubbed the Lions Challenge) will kick off against Russia at Ellis Park on Saturday.
Considering the huge downfall expected after Saru announced the Jozi franchise’s Super Rugby relegation late last year, the Lions administrators have done a fine job to organise a schedule of competitive matches ahead of the South African Super Rugby promotion-relegation play-offs in July/August. All home matches will also be broadcast on SuperSport.
Ackermann, who succeeded John Mitchell as Lions head coach, has the task of preparing the team as they aim to play their way back into Super Rugby. And he’s confident his players will deliver on that goal.
‘We will be ready to compete for our place in Super Rugby,’ Ackermann told keo.co.za. ‘This season is a special and exciting challenge for us. Facing the likes of Russia, Samoa and the French clubs will be a new experience for everybody.
‘We’re looking forward to the road ahead this season, which will prepare us for the promotion-relegation play-offs.’
The Lions will also have the opportunity to play against the other five South African Super Rugby franchises. However, it’s unlikely that the opposing coaches will field full-strength teams as the competition will be their biggest priority and the Springboks will have Test duty in June.
This doesn’t faze Ackermann.
‘People need to remember that we are also a rebuilding, young team,’ he said. ‘We lost many of our top players last year – some of them have signed for other teams while others are loaned out. In the positions where we’ve lost players, there are new players filling in. And if those players are not of the same quality, they will need to improve. They’ll get the opportunity to do so during the year.
‘So if the other South African teams field some of their fringe players, it will still be a competitive match for us. There’s quality depth among the South African Super Rugby franchises.’
There’s also the question of how many loaned-out players the Lions will retain for the Super Rugby promotion-relegation play-offs. Jaco Taute has already told this site that he will stick with the Stormers if he enjoys his stint in the Cape. The same could apply to the other players in their respective destinations, like Elton Jantjies (Stormers), Lionel Mapoe (Bulls) and Francois van der Merwe (Sharks).
Ackermann says those decisions will be made at a later date.
‘We’ll have to review the different scenarios when we get there. Our Super Rugby relegation opened the door for our best players to leave. If we don’t get into Super Rugby next year, more will leave. That’s the harsh reality.
‘That’s why it’s important to win the promotion-relegation play-offs and work our way back into Super Rugby. We’ll have to be smart in the way we incorporate the players who return from other franchises. If they strengthen the team, we’ll start them. If they need to be eased back into our game plan, they’ll come off the bench.
‘We are focused on the main goal, which is getting back into Super Rugby.’
LIONS’ 2013 SCHEDULE:
19 January: vs Russia, Ellis Park (7pm)
26 January: vs Cheetahs, Ellis Park (5pm)
2 February: vs Bulls, Orlando Stadium (3pm)
9 February: vs Kings, Ellis Park (TBC)
23 February: vs Namibia in Windhoek (TBC)
16 March: vs Mont de Marsan, Ellis Park (7:30pm)
13 April: vs US Invitational, California (TBC)
20 April: vs North American Barbarians, Vancouver (TBC)
27 April: vs Chicago Lions, Chicago (TBC)
11 May: vs Agen, Ellis Park (3pm)
1 June: vs Samoa, Ellis Park (3pm)
8 June: vs French Barbarians, Ellis Park (2pm)
15 June: vs Stormers, Ellis Park (2pm)
21 June: vs Sharks, Ellis Park (7pm)
12 July: vs Montpellier, Ellis Park (7pm)
20 July: vs Grenoble, Ellis Park (2.30pm)
27 July: Promotion-relegation play-off, TBC (TBC)
3 August: Promotion-relegation play-off, Ellis Park (TBC)
By Gareth Duncan
28 Comments
15 Jan 2013, 10:48 am
One thing that won’t experience a revolution is the turnstiles.
15 Jan 2013, 10:56 am
2. I hope the young palyers that come through have watertight contracts to keep the circling vultures at bay
15 Jan 2013, 10:58 am
Not to beat a dead horse in the comments but the Chicago Lions said that they’re not playing the Lions in April: it’s the weekend of the US Division 1 play-offs. Also, for the record, Belmont Shore are the club champs of America, the Lions got knocked out in the quarter-finals.
It might be worth doing a little research before re-printing press releases.
15 Jan 2013, 11:02 am
go Lions
15 Jan 2013, 11:55 am
@Turrican-3: lol
15 Jan 2013, 12:43 pm
lions had there chance at the highest level, a whole decade of average rugby.
i will say that once they were under the gun and it looked like they were going to be shown the door, they started producing a lot of promising young player
Eg: volmick, coatzee, jantjies, tuate, combrink etc
along with some very good attacking rugby in the currie cup last year (the second game against the sharks is a good example)
to little to late though. never made sense to have a team in both Pretoria and Jozi
how about a SR team in boland while we’re at it
(note: all the employees at anglo american head office are reading this and thinking: ” WTF we want super rugby back, leave the lions alone”
those dudes love the lions
15 Jan 2013, 13:03 pm
@numba4lock-6: Numnut, you obviously come from the farm, Johannesburg and Pretoria are two of the largest cities. Southern Gauteng has more than twice the population of the Western cape. Gauteng has has 4 stadiums that hold 40 000 and more people, that actually pay for themselves, pull your head out your A**.
15 Jan 2013, 13:44 pm
like taute i would like to tell this site that if i enjoy supporting the stormers this season i will stick with them in the future. There has been some great moments with the lions in the past, but the time has come to move on… as for the Lions good luck, will be watchthe game in Windhoek but support the welwitchias.
15 Jan 2013, 15:17 pm
Lol, samoa gonna be tough, almost like john mitchells training methods. Brace youselves losers p@esklappe to resume shortly!
15 Jan 2013, 16:10 pm
@umkhonto-7: It would be interesting to see how many registered rugby players they have though.
15 Jan 2013, 16:25 pm
I spoke to Johan Ackerman recently, and their main aim is to beat the last place SA super rugby team, which will probably be the Kings. But they do not see it as a grudge match.
Secondly they want to do well in the CC.
I am not a Lions supporter but after speaking to him I believe they will be back in SR next year.
If that happens, I wonder what will happen to all the contracted Kings players?
15 Jan 2013, 16:59 pm
If the Lions continue in this ‘tournament’, and it becomes profitable…..the ‘previously disadvantaged’ will want in – and will get forced in ‘or else’.
Only a matter of time.
15 Jan 2013, 19:27 pm
@sparticus-10:
With 20 or so clubs, not many registered players.
But I like what the Lions are doing.
15 Jan 2013, 19:32 pm
Good luck with Russia.A bunch of losers playing agains a former Superpower.Should provide entertainment for the ten supporters.
15 Jan 2013, 19:35 pm
@wnbb-14: I would rather watch this than the Southern Queens playing. Actually – no that is not entirely true. The pure entertainment value of watching the Kings get their backsides handed to them game in – game out is one of the things I am looking forward to the most.
15 Jan 2013, 20:04 pm
@Wnnb , lol! Die Rooi Gevaar vs die Rooienwitk@k.
15 Jan 2013, 20:37 pm
McCaw Cheats…and cheats…and cheats….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YsP3Y1dDcb0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wVuomr8zebg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv-RkRr0HtE
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkgkSRcjWAY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pdr-W775hk4
15 Jan 2013, 23:23 pm
@blik-17: blikkies, McCaw cheats but he is good at it. Playing on the fringes of the law and getting away with it is one of the only ways to separate teams in a strength vs. strength battle. Lots of teams/players do it. Some are better than others getting away with it. Heindrich Brussouw plays the offside line like an absolute artist….watch a bit….
Also teams like the Cheetahs built their success when they appeared in 4 Currie Cup finals in a row, winning 2 and drawing 1 by treading the fine line of the law by holding a player in the tackle exactly the right length of time that the tackled player would get penalized for holding onto the ball. That was until the laws were changed. Then they were stuffed.
Of course Rassie Erasmus’s and uber gomgat Muller’s creative interpretation and illegal use of their front row forward reserves was often overlooked too. In virtually every game the Cheetahs played – their second ranked front rower in a specific position would come on for 15 minutes (just enough to give their first choice guy a breather) and then get ‘injured’ so their first choice guy could come back on.
Heck – when the Cheetahs were getting scrummed off the field, their entire front row compliment use to get injured in a matter of 10 minutes, forcing uncontested scrums. Biggest cheats – the altar boys from Bloem. It was so obvious it became laughable.
But – you have to take your hat off to them. They did it in such a way that very few people picked up on it. Or at least – everyone turned a blind eye to it.
Funny – I wrote a long e-mail to the IRB on these two issues referring to specific times in about 6 games in one Currie Cup year. Believe it or not I got referred to Andre Watson who actually wrote quite a long e-mail in response to my query, vociferously defending the referee who I believe was that d$$khead, Willie Roos. I am not saying it was my e-mail but next season the law was changed. Do you know what year that was ?
It was the year that suddenly the Cheetahs stopped doing so well.
Coincidence ?
All teams cheat – some just better than others and some have gained massive successes by being good at playing the laws like a fiddle.
15 Jan 2013, 23:25 pm
Was mainly Roos at least. The other one was Fortuin. Clearly the Cheetahs knew exactly how to fob those two.
16 Jan 2013, 08:37 am
“Lions Ready for new era”? What era? What’s new?
A lame Russian side klapped by the University of Johannesburg this past week is hardly competition for a Lions C-Grade side, but merely a philanthropic exhibition game to show what?
Where is a World Invitational Team – where is a Barbarians side – where is a Top 14 side as the two French sides the Lions are playing CAN commit to a holiday in the sun in Jhb as Mont de Marson & Agen are bottom of the log.
Every single “foreign” team playing at Ellis Park and there are 8 of them as Samoa is being brought out by SARU so the Lions have slipped in a game at “no cost” represents a R3m bill.
That is R24m that the Lions have to pony up to stage a comical Lions Challenge that means nothing to no one.
There is no log,
there is no trophy,
there are no rules,
there is no prize money,
there is nothing on offer to call this a Challenge, which is a trumped up farce by any other name.
It shows that the Lions are attempting to go through the motions and is an insult to the fans (what’s left), the suite holders, season ticket holders, sponsors and players.
The Lions have gone from a proud rugby union to a circus side show act and even this is wee wee poor.
16 Jan 2013, 10:21 am
Gorne@Gordon Gekko-20: Lounge Lizzard, you obviously have a problem with the Lions a least they never sat for 10 year with their one finger up their nose and the other up their ***, they do know that SARU wil renage on the promo/ rele match at the end of the year and they have made a plan to survive.
Well if you are or were a fan you will not be needed, perhaps you can join the Sharks booing brigade.
16 Jan 2013, 10:35 am
Keo as for your current poll, the answer would be NO but what would you have wanted the Lions to do play Sony Playstation, any match is better than none.
At least they don’t say they are ready for Super Rugby and then come up with a million and one problems.
16 Jan 2013, 10:58 am
@Gordon Gekko-20: About a week or so ago you said that you were prepared to trade your Ellis Park suite “for any Blackberry or the larney Samsung.
I’ll take you up on that offer.
16 Jan 2013, 16:34 pm
@umkhonto-21: that now is a knee jerk reaction.
Have you thought through whether this Lions Challenge is anything else other than a tease for the fans that there is rugby to go and watch at EP.
16 Jan 2013, 16:35 pm
@BrumbiesBoy-23: that would be a Samsung Galaxy – any takers to take over the lease at Ellis Park?
16 Jan 2013, 19:44 pm
@GordonGecko, agree this is a feeble attempt to fill EP….which wont happen! These cyber-loser lions fans here will not attend, and the lions need fullhouses. F@rk me, when i lived in jhb I attended a few games supporting the visiting team, still more of us than lions in the stands. Lions fans do not attend games theyre mostly tv, cyber, armchair fans.
16 Jan 2013, 19:45 pm
@GordonGecko, agree this is a feeble attempt to fill EP….which wont happen! These cyber-loser lions fans here will not attend, and the lions need fullhouses. F@rk me, when i lived in jhb I attended a few games supporting the visiting team, still more of us than lions in the stands. Lions fans do not attend games theyre mostly tv, cyber, armchair fans…iow losers.
17 Jan 2013, 13:00 pm
@Gordon Gekko-25:
9.Gordon Gekko:
9 Jan 2013, 12:33 pm @Slappes-6: Slappes – want to take over a suite at Ellis Park? Trade ins welcome – any Blackberry or Samsung Galaxy will do. Will consider tickets at the circus for a swap. No takers on Gumtree yet!
Ah, now it’s “take over the lease” and not “take over a suite” at Ellis Park?…
Shifting the goalposts are we?
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