The Lions have made some sensible changes to their squad to face the Waratahs on Friday.
At flyhalf it is back to Carlos Spencer, Wandile Mjekevu is at left wing and both Jano Vermaak and Wigan Pekeur, who were flown in, are on the bench.
Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Walter Venter, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Wandile Mjekevu, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 JP Joubert, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (c), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Charles Emslie, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Jacques Lombaard, 19 Robert Kruger, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Wigan Pekeur.
Earl Rose…eishhh
Not to sure Carlos is such a good move, would’ve stick with Francis…
Can’t wait to see Jano back in actoin…hope he finds his form soon !!!
This is a game the Lions might just suprize…
Maybe Earl has a blinder this weekend…He has had a couple of :poop: games now…
I like this Mjekevu kid…
More continuity this week aswell as far as team selections are concerned…
Let’s hope, let’s pray, sacrifice some virgins to the Rugby gods…. please, just one win?
Even if only as repayment for robbing the Sharks.
Lions sign top schoolboy stars
SA Schools players JP du Plessis and Siya Kolisi will play their rugby in Johannesburg from next year.
Du Plessis, who played centre for Paul Roos, was in danger of being lost to South African rugby after he was approached by Australian rugby league side Sydney Roosters in April. He will still go on a trial with the club in December, but it is likely he will return.
‘JP has signed with us as he has an escape clause with the Roosters,’ Lions coach Hans Coetzee told keo.co.za. ‘He’ll go over and make a decision after a month in Sydney.’
Du Plessis’ father Charl played fullback for Transvaal and is a current skills coach at the union – a factor that should see him return to South Africa in 2010.
Kolisi has represented SA Schools for two years and was the standout loose-forward at Craven Week, despite representing an under-performing EP side. Kolisi had originally signed with the Cheetahs, but the Bloemfontein-outfit’s contract was invalid.
‘We had showed an interest in Siya last year already and had approached him before anyone else,’ said Coetzee, the former manager of talent identification at the union before he took up the post of Currie Cup coach. ‘He was always interested in coming to us, but an agent from the Cheetahs asked me if we had contacted Siya, and I told him we had.
‘Then they tried to sign him, but at that stage he was only 17, so it was not valid.’
The Lions have gone beyond their borders to secure some exciting talent, which will be invaluable in future years.
‘In the past, I’m not sure how things were done, but now we are slowly but surely bringing better guys here,’ said Coetzee.
Along with the pair, the Lions have also kept Monument star Jaco Taute – who made his debut for the Lions’ senior side in the Currie Cup while still at school.
Lions’ junior contracts for 2010:
Enzo Venter (Affies)
Van Zyl Botha(Grey Bloem)
Robbie Rawlins (Rustenburg High School)
Jaco Taute( Monument High)
Louis Nel (Grens High)
Johan van der Hooght (Ben Vorster High)
PJ Uys (Monument)
Louis le Roux (Pretoria Boys High)
Lulama Mdozi (Pearson High)
Phumulani Kamanga (Marais Viljoen High)
Jacques van den Berg (Affies)
Vincent Scott (Monument)
Tusi Motoka (St Albans)
Andries Oosthuizen (Monument)
Vincent Jobo (KES)
Bernard Buchner (Marlow Agriultural)
Ulrich van Schalkwyk (EG Jansen)
Janus Jonker (Rustenburg High)
Gareth Topkin (Rondebosch High)
Siya Kolisi (Grey High School)
Jimmy Hughes (Monument)
JP du Plessis (Paul Roos)
Dale Sabbagh (Selborne College)
Nico Kruger (Monument)
Garth April (Florida)
Jacques Genade (Klerksdorp High)
Jason Hofmeyer (Monument)
Siya Mteto (Pearson High)
JR Esterhyse (Paarl Gym)
Morne Erasmus (EG Jansen)
Reynard Heyndenrych (Affies)
Francois de Klerk (Waterkloof)
Pierre Lombard (Waterkloof).
By Grant Ball
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