LIONS READY FOR A TOUGH, HOSTILE EVENING IN GALWAY FOR CONNACHT CLASH

The Emirates Lions face up to Irish outfit Connacht in Round 12 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship hoping to be the first South African franchise to get the better of the men from Galway this Saturday. The Johannesburg side are on the charge for a play-off spot in the competition, and points on the weekend would build momentum in the coming weeks of what will be a demanding schedule.

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The Marius Louw led side this week features a start for outside centre Erich Cronje, who replaces Henco van Wyk who is on the road to recovery after coming off against the Sharks in Round 11. Etienne Oosthuizen and Reinhard Nothnagel have been tasked to boss the lineouts, with Darrien Landsberg providing impact from the replacements bench.

Elsewhere, Stean Pienaar returns to the Match 23, with hooker Jaco Visagie in line for his 50^th game in franchise colours.

Lions scrum guru Julian Redelinghuys provides insight into his team’s preparations since arriving in Galway this week and the challenge lying ahead against Connacht.

“We’ve had decent preparations this week in cold, wet weather which is great because we are expecting similar conditions come Saturday. It’s nothing new to us as we are familiar with the environment over here from previous visits.”

Describing the mood in the camp, the former Springbok prop says travelling has always been a good thing for his side as they tend to do it well.

“The vibe inside camp is great. We tend to travel well, and the guys enjoy one another’s company. It’s also a nice opportunity to bond as a squad. Coming off a win against the Sharks two weeks ago also bodes well for team spirit,” he explains.

Looking ahead to Saturday at the Dexcom Stadium in Galway, Redelinghuys expects a tough battle against the Irish outfit- a team no South African side has gotten the better of in previous URC visits with the Emirates Lions hoping to be the first to upset that record.

“They are a very tough side to play over here, he says. They are a dangerous team when given front foot momentum, coupled with their fast tempo at which they play the game.”

“We have an opportunity however to challenge their set piece which is going to require our forwards to roll up their sleeves in very tough, hostile conditions over here in Galway. Our guys are up for it though- we enjoy it when it’s tough because that’s when we as a group play for one another,” he concludes.

Kick-off at the Dexcom Stadium is at 19:15 (SA time)

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Emirates Lions Match 23

1.           JP Smith

2.           PJ Botha

3.           Asenathi Ntlabakanye

4.           Etienne Oosthuizen

5.           Reinhard Nothnagel

6.           JC Pretorius

7.           Emmanuel Tshituka

8.           Francke Horn

9.           Sanele Nohamba

10.         Jordan Hendrikse

11.         Edwill van der Merwe

12.         Marius Louw (c)

13.         Erich Cronje

14.         Richard Kriel

15.         Quan Horn

Replacements

16.         Jaco Visagie

17.         Morgan Naude

18.         Conraad van Vuuren

19.         Darrien Landsberg

20.         Izan Esterhuizen

21.         Hanru Sirgel

22.         Morne van den Berg

23.         Stean Pienaar

Connacht: Tiernan O’Halloran, Byron Ralston, David Hawkshaw, Cathal Forde, Andrew Smith, JJ Hanrahan, Caolin Blade (CAPT), Denis Buckley, Tadgh McElroy, Jack Aungier, Niall Murray, Joe Joyce, Cian Prendergast, Conor Oliver, Sean O’Brien

Replacements: Dave Heffernan, Jordan Duggan, Sam Illo, Darragh Murray, Shamus Hurley-Langton, Colm Reilly, Jack Carty, Paul Boyle

Connacht Head Coach Pete Wilkins said: “Tomorrow marks the start of a huge block of games for us both in the Vodacom URC and EPCR Challenge Cup. We navigated through the Guinness Six Nations period with the two wins we needed, so now we want to build on that for the remainder of the season. The Emirates Lions are getting stronger with every year they’re in this competition, and they’re one of the strongest South African sides away from home. So we’re fully aware of the challenge ahead, and the need for us to be at the top of our game to get the win.”

Connacht Rugby v Emirates Lions, Saturday 7.15pm

Connacht lock Joe Joyce is well aware of what lies in store at the Galway Sportsground this weekend - both on and off the field.

“Physically, you know when you take on any South African team you need to be ready and expect a really tough battle,” said the former Bristol forward.

“This is the first game of the Lions’ tour away from home, so they will be buzzing. But we are as well and each lad can’t wait to play in front of that green army.

“The supporters have been savage in each game and give us that extra 10 per cent and that’s what we expect again - those supporters in the four corners of the ground to really get behind us.”

Providing the perspective from the Lions set-up, scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys said: 

“The vibe inside camp is great. We tend to travel well, and the guys enjoy one another’s company. It’s also a nice opportunity to bond as a squad. Coming off a win against the Sharks two weeks ago also bodes well for team spirit.”