Lions without Kriel and Dreyer in Jukskei derby

It was from rock bottom that the Lions rebounded to snap their five-match losing streak in the United Rugby Championship (URC) against Glasgow Warriors last Saturday. 

The realisation that things could not get any worse provided curious comfort for a team buffeted by bad press in the run-up to last week’s match.

“We decided we had nothing to lose,” said No 8 Francke Horn matter-of-factly. “We’ve had our backs to the wall. We knew we had enough talent to get the job done,” he said.

The team’s new resolve was all too evident after losing prop Ruan Dreyer to a red card, as well as fullback Quan Horn and left-wing Edwill van der Merwe to yellows. Horn argued the Lions applied a bloody-minded attitude. “At times we played with 13 players. We decided we’re not going to back down.”

The win was a thoroughly uplifting experience for the Lions. But Horn was quick to point out they are fully aware they must back up that performance with another solid one.

The Lions, after all, are having to trek up the N1 to play bitter enemies the Bulls in the URC on Saturday. They don’t just have a  beef with the Bulls, but also with the rest of the SA conference.

The Lions have lost 10 straight derby matches and will be desperate to snap that losing sequence this weekend. Their last conference win in the URC was in December 2021.

If they are to back up their 35-24 win against Glasgow Warriors, they will have to produce a performance even more compelling than that of last week.

The Bulls are unlikely to be as wasteful in attack as the team from Scotland. Moreover, the Bulls will be snorting after their defeat to the Stormers and for them a second home defeat would be too ghastly to contemplate.

The Lions will have to make amendments to their winning team. Attack coach Ricardo Laubscher said they will be without experienced flanker Jaco Kriel, and they may also be without prop Ruan Dreyer, who will serve a match suspension after receiving a red card last weekend. They were still awaiting clarity on Dreyer’s potential suspension.

Meanwhile, Horn is upbeat about the Lions. He sees his immediate future with the team that tends to be a stepping stone for burgeoning careers.

“I am fully committed to the Lions. We can go far with this team. We’re on the right path and have a lot to look forward to. I don’t think it is far away,” said the loose forward.