Lions can reach third consecutive SuperRugby final
The Lions can on Saturday afternoon qualify for a third consecutive SuperRugby final if they manage to beat the Waratahs from Australia in the semi-final in Johannesburg.
Springbok No 8 Warren Whiteley will lead the Lions in their Super Rugby semi-final match against the Waratahs at Emirates Airline Park in Johannesburg on Saturday, with the Highveld side aiming for a third successive final appearance.
The match kicks off at 15:05.
The other semi-final takes place earlier in the day (09:35 SA time) in New Zealand between the defending champions, the Crusaders, and the Hurricanes. Both matches will be televised live on SuperSport 1.
Whiteley and his team mates have hit form at the most appropriate time, with the men in red and white dispatching the Bulls in their last regular season fixture and then producing an even better display last week to comfortably triumph over the powerful Jaguares team in the quarter-final.
The Lions have won their last three games against the Waratahs, including a 29-0 victory when the sides last met in March in Sydney, but they know that the Australians have improved remarkably since then.
Each of the previous 11 all-New Zealand semi-finals have been won by the hosts on the day. The Crusaders are the tournament’s in-form side and firm favourites against their rivals from Wellington.
South African Jaco Peyper, Super Rugby’s most experienced referee, will take charge of the all-New Zealand semi-final in Christchurch. Glen Jackson will be the man in the middle for the match in Johannesburg between the Emirates Lions and the 2014 champions from Sydney.
Lions coach Swys de Bruin has made one change to the team that beat the Jaguares at home last weekend. Lourens Erasmus replaces Cyle Brink, who could not recover in time from his right arm injury sustained against the Argentineans. Harold Vorster (centre) is set to play in his 50th Vodacom Super Rugby game.
Erasmus, a former student of Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria, has been knocking on the door for a long time with good performances from the replacement bench. Although he is better known as a lock, he can have a surprising impact on flank. He is very fast for his size and also offers a good line-up option at the back of the lineouts.
Lions skipper Warren Whiteley has cautioned his side about the Waratahs strengths.
“We know the Waratahs have lots of attacking threats and will kick tactically because they’ll most likely be aiming to keep the ball in play, so we’ll need to be switched on defensively,” Whitely warned.
Meanwhile, the selection of hooker Tolu Latu is the only change to the Waratahs starting line-up for Saturday’s big clash. Latu will make his first start of the season, replacing Damien Fitzpatrick, who is now playing off the bench, while winger Taqele Naiyaravoro makes his 50th appearance.
Waratahs coach Daryl Gibson said he expects a very physical encounter against from the Highvelders.
“We learnt a great deal from the last time we played them when they won easily, and when their strengths led them to victory,” Gibson concluded.
* Crusaders coach Scott Robertson has made just one change to his starting team that beat the Sharks last weekend. They welcome back All Blacks prop Joe Moody, who has recovered from injury to start at loose head prop, with Tim Perry providing cover on the bench.
The Hurricanes have named an unchanged starting side for their visit to Christchurch. Experienced prop Toby Smith will make his 100th competition appearance having represented the Chiefs and the Rebels before arriving at the Hurricanes.
Teams:
Emirates Lions: 15. Andries Coetzee, 14. Ruan Combrinck, 13. Lionel Mapoe, 12. Harold Vorster, 11. Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Ross Cronje, 8. Warren Whiteley (captain), 7. Lourens Erasmus, 6. Kwagga Smith, 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Marvin Orie, 3. Ruan Dreyer, 2. Malcolm Marx, 1. Jacques van Rooyen. Replacements: 16. Corne Fourie, 17. Dylan Smith, 18. Johannes Jonker, 19. Hacjivah Dayimani, 20. Marnus Schoeman, 21. Dillon Smit, 22. Courtnall Skosan, 23. Howard Mnisi.
Waratahs: 15. Israel Folau, 14. Alex Newsome, 13. Curtis Rona, 12. Kurtley Beale, 11. Taqele Naiyaravoro, 10. Bernard Foley (captain), 9. Nick Phipps, 8. Michael Wells, 7. Will Miller, 6. Ned Hanigan, 5. Rob Simmons, 4. Jed Holloway, 3. Sekope Kepu, 2. Tolu Latu, 1. Tom Robertson. Replacements: 16. Damien Fitzpatrick, 17. Harry Johnson-Holmes, 18. Paddy Ryan, 19. Tom Staniforth, 20. Brad Wilkin, 21. Jake Gordon, 22. Bryce Hegarty, 23. Cam Clark.
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Crusaders: 15. David Havili, 14. Seta Tamanivalu, 13. Jack Goodhue, 12. Ryan Crotty, 11. George Bridge, 10. Richie Mo’unga, 9. Bryn Hall, 8. Kieran Read, 7. Matt Todd, 6. Jordan Taufua, 5. Sam Whitelock (captain), 4. Scott Barrett, 3. Owen Franks, 2. Codie Taylor, 1. Joe Moody. Replacements: 16. Andrew Makalio, 17. Tim Perry, 18. Michael Alaalatoa, 19. Luke Romano, 20. Pete Samu, 21. Mitchell Drummond, 22. Mitchell Hunt, 23. Braydon Ennor.
Hurricanes: 15. Nehe Milner-Skudder, 14. Julian Savea, 13. Jordie Barrett, 12. Ngani Laumape, 11. Ben Lam, 10. Beauden Barrett, 9. TJ Perenara, 8. Blade Thomson, 7. Gareth Evans, 6. Brad Shields (captain), 5. Sam Lousi, 4. Michael Fatialofa, 3. Jeff To’omaga-Allen, 2. Ricky Riccitelli, 1. Toby Smith. Replacements: 16. James O’Reilly, 17. Chris Eves, 18. Ben May, 19. Vaea Fifita, 20. Ardie Savea/Reed Prinsep, 21. Jamie Booth, 22. Ihaia West, 23. Wes Goosen.
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