Lions have all claws out for Munster clash

All the winners from their recent awards ceremony, except Renzo du Plessis and Rynhardt Jonker, have been included in the Lions’ touring squad to take on Munster in a United Rugby Championship (URC) clash on Saturday.

Player of the year Sanele Nohamba, Currie Cup player of the year Jarod Cairns and Quan Horn, the players’ player of the year, as well as RF Schoeman, junior and breakthrough player of the year, are all heading for Limerick.

Flank Du Plessis and centre Jonker have not been selected but they are likely to see action in their EPCR Challenge Cup clash against Pau on the team’s return.

Jonker is the only player who started in the Lions’ last match against Leinster not to make the trip. Du Plessis was used sparingly on that trip and the trend continues.

The Lions, who lost to Leinster in their top-of-the-table clash, slipped from second on the points table to fourth as a result of that defeat.

However, they recorded a maiden win on Irish soil in 2023 when they beat Connacht and may have reason to be upbeat about Saturday’s fixture.

They head to Ireland to face a Munster team in rare strife. The Irish side have made another sluggish start to the competition winning just two of their six matches. In fact, though they often take a while to get going, this season is different as it has already produced casualties.

Successive defeats to Leinster, the Stormers and Sharks led to the departure of head coach Graham Rowntree and forwards coach Andi Kyriacou who had been instrumental in the club winning the URC in 2023, their first trophy in a decade.

Head of rugby operations Ian Costello is in temporary charge of the team until a replacement is found. Attack coach Mike Prendergast, who has had a contract extension to 2027, is the favourite to get the job but former Bok assistant coach Felix Jones and erstwhile England mentor Stuart Lancaster are also believed to be in the mix.

Jones is no longer attached to the England national team but is still contracted to the national federation, while Lancaster is head coach at Racing 92.

Munster’s last win was their 23-0 triumph over the Ospreys in the first week of October and their only other win was their opening round success against Connacht.

Lions touring squad:

Forwards: PJ Botha, Jarod Cairns, Ruan Delport, Francke Horn, Franco Marais, Morgan Naude, Reinhard Nothnagel, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, JC Pretorius, Sibabalo Qoma, Ruben Schoeman, Juan Schoeman, FR Schoeman, WJ Steenkamp, Conraad van Vuuren

Backs: Erich Cronjé, Quan Horn, Richard Kriel, Marius Louw, Tapiwa Mafura, Sanele Nohamba, Nico Steyn, Morné van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, Henco van Wyk, Kade Wolhuter