Lions facing tough task
The Lions have arrived in Hamilton, New Zealand, fresh from beating the Sunwolves in Tokyo 26-13 last weekend and ready to take on the Chiefs at the FMG Stadium.
|||Johannesburg - The Lions have arrived in Hamilton, New Zealand, fresh from beating the Sunwolves in Tokyo 26-13 last weekend and ready to take on the Chiefs at the FMG Stadium on Saturday.
The Lions have now won their last four Super Rugby matches outside of South Africa.
Flyhalf Elton Jantjies was off target against the Sunwolves only managing to convert 50 percent of his kicks at goal, and will have to rediscover his accuracy. Captain Warren Whiteley and Jaco Kriel will also be looking to continue their strong defensive form, whilst both back-rows are vital for the Lions to get them over the gainline.
Those two players will lead the charge in what feels like a significant game for the Lions, who are on the cusp of being billed as the best side in South Africa. The Chiefs, two-time champions, will be confident after last week's 27-21 away win against the Crusaders. What's more important to note is that the Lions have not beaten the Chiefs since 2008.
The home side, having won 14 of their last 18 encounters against South African opposition, will be firm favourites going into this one. Having ranked in the top three players for the amount of offloads, Aaron Cruden and Charles Ngatai will be hoping to maintain this fine attacking form.
Cruden's return is certainly a welcome sight for all of those who expect him to take the All Blacks No 10 jersey later this year against Wales and beyond.
Full-back Damian McKenzie stole the show however last week despite some scratchy goalkicking, however he gained 89 metres for his side - the most by any Chiefs player during week one. These teams did not meet in 2015.
Back in 2014, a much-needed success for the Chiefs put them back on top of the New Zealand Conference after defeating the Lions 38-8. The home side outscored a young, inexperienced Lions side six tries to one, with Tim Nanai-Williams particularly dangerous, scoring one and creating another.
Players to watch include the explosive Seta Tamanivalu and Chiefs will look to their 104kg centre to get them in behind the defence. Although his kicking accuracy was not ideal against the Crusaders, the Lions will want to restrict Damien McKenzie from getting an opportunity to launch a counter-attack.
The elusive fullback made five line breaks during the last week's victory over the Crusaders. The Lions have made three changes.Harold Vorster will partner Lionel Mapoe in midfield with Howard Mnisi moving to the bench.
Malcolm Marx and Dylan Smith start in the front row. Akker van der Merwe drops to the bench is Corne Fourie while Fabian Booysen will make his Super Rugby debut should he get a run.
Dave Rennie has made only two changes to the starting XV which defeated the Crusaders. Maama Vaipulu will start at eighth-man and Tom Sanders moves to blindside flanker. Latu Vaeno gets his first start on the right wing, with Shaun Stevenson forced to sit out the game due to a minor shoulder complaint.
Japanese captain Michael Leitch is brought in on the bench and is expected to make his return to Super Rugby, while former Warrior Glen Fisiiahi looks set to earn his first Super Rugby cap.
Last week's 26-13 victory for the Lions over the Sunwolves was a morale booster after losses to the Bulls and Jaguares in pre-season warm-up matches.
The Chiefs also went into last week's clash with a pre-season loss, suffering a 24-12 defeat to the Blues. The victory in the first round over the Crusaders will certainly have boosted their confidence going into round two. - African News Agency (ANA)