Two new locks will run on for the Golden Lions in Wednesday night’s match against the touring British and Irish Lions in Johannesburg.
New (interim) coach of the local Lions, Hans Coetzee, on Monday opted for the inclusion of experienced 34-year-old Willem Stoltz and former Boland lock Brad Mockford to start in place of Anton van Zyl and Springbok Jannes Labuschagne.
The two regular locks in the Lions Super 14 side are not available for selection.
Van Zyl starts training with Western province on Monday, while Labuschagne is injured and was not considered for the match. Two other locks, Gerhard Mostert and Dewald Senekal, are also not available because of injury.
Springbok hopeful Jano Vermaak has also been included as scrumhalf and Earl Rose is on the bench.
”Any players from our squad that are on Monday night selected for the Springbok squad can continue to train with us and will play on Wednesday.
”Our last training run will be on Tuesday, which will in any case allow them to run with the national squad later in the day,” Coetzee explained.
As a senior Springbok just back from injury Jaque Fourie was, however, not considered and has to join up with the Springboks on Monday afternoon.
Regular Super 14 captain Cobus Grobbelaar is back at No. 6 after a prolonged injury lay-off. A number of players could, however, not be considered for selection because of injury. They are Springboks Labuschagne (lock), Heinke van der Merwe (prop) and wing Henno Mentz; and locks Mostert and Senekal and hooker Hans van Dyk. And of course Fourie.
Coetzee says he expects the British Lions to run more and also to do more on the counter-attack than they did on Saturday against the Royal XV.
”I think they’ll perform better,” added captain Grobbelaar.
”They’re now more used to the altitude and the conditions and we’re expecting a totally different game.”
And, said Coetzee, the Golden Lions are prepared for the maul which the British Lions didn’t use that often in Phokeng on Saturday.
Coetzee said he was looking forward to the match — his first as a coach at this level. ”It was totally unexpected. I was busy with the provincial Under-19s when I was approached. It was a huge surprise. I didn’t envisage to coach at this level at this stage.”
With assistant coaches Wimpie Vermeulen (backs) and Ian Macdonald (forwards), Coetzee stuck to very much the same side that predecessor Eugene Eloff had used throughout the season. — Sapa