The coach of the Lions team, Ivan van Ruyen, is preparing for the first derby of the season in the Highveld. The team must be ready for an intense confrontation when they cross the Yuxkey River and meet the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld stadium on Saturday. The start of the match has been moved to an earlier time—13:30, to avoid thunderstorms.
The early start will have little impact on the excitement of this Gauteng derby, which promises to be very physically intense, especially in the battle in the center of the field. The Lions arrive in Pretoria undefeated after two rounds of the United Rugby Championship.
Ivan van Ruyen's team demonstrated a promising start to the campaign and draws confidence from their victory over the Bulls last season at Loftus, where they achieved a spectacular win with a score of 43:33. However, the Lions' coach understands that past successes hold little weight against the Bulls team under Johan Ackermann, who aims to leverage the home-field advantage. Although the Lions beat the Ospreys last week, van Ruyen expects a much tougher challenge from their neighbors.
Van Ruyen emphasized the importance of precision in the upcoming match against the Bulls, noting that it is a typical derby that will focus on set-piece play and high physical intensity. He added that the Bulls have shown a desire to play more actively in recent games, making them more dangerous heading into the weekend.
This emphasis on precision and dominance in forward battles was supported by assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys, who believes the clash between the two packs of forwards could be decisive. The former Springbok noted that playing against the South African team will involve a higher level of intensity, especially in the set pieces, as both forward packs are proud.
Van Ruyen made several changes to his squad. Among them are a new pair of locks consisting of Dylan Schoeman and Hayron Andrews. Furthermore, Springbok Morne van den Berg and Juan Horn returned to the starting lineup at the positions of scrum-half and fullback, respectively. There were also three changes in the backline: Richard Kriel replaced the injured Erich Kronhe on the wing, and Ethan Adams plays alongside Henko van Wyk in the midfield. Van Wyk returned after being absent last week due to precautionary measures following a head injury. On the bench, the Lions can add strength and speed with Batho Hlekkani and Sibhe Mashashe, while Nico Steyn will provide cover at the midfield and winger positions. Captain Franke Horn will once again play a central role in the Lions' efforts, whose team must match the physical power of the Bulls before looking for opportunities in the wide areas. Despite the Lions having momentum, they will need more than just the confidence from an unexpected victory last season at Loftus.
Lions Squad Against Bulls
The starting lineup for the Lions includes: 15 Juan Horn, 14 Kelly Mpeku, 13 Henko van Wyk, 12 Ethan Adams, 11 Richard Kriel, 10 Chris Smith, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Franke Horn (captain), 7 Sibhe Komo, 6 J C Pretorius, 5 Hayron Andrews, 4 Dylan Schoeman, 3 Sebastian Lombard, 2 P J Botha, 1 Boan Winter. Reserves include: 16 Morne Brandon, 17 S J Kotze, 18 R F Scherman, 19 J Priet, 20 Batho Hlekkani, 21 Sibhe Mashashe, 22 Nico Steyn, 23 Boeta Chamberlain.