The MTN Lions have announced a 26 man touring squad for the four match tour of Australia and New Zealand starting on Saturday 14th May 2011 against the Brumbies in Canberra.
The squad is (in alphabetical order):
1. Jacobie Adriaanse; 2. Kevin Buys; 3. Patric Cilliers; 4. Dylan des Fontain; 5. Burton Francis; 7. Cobus Grobelaar; 8. Alwyn Hollenbach; 9. Butch James; 10. JC Janse van Rensburg; 11. Elton Jantjies; 12. Michael Killian; 13. Rory Kockott; 14. Doppies la Grange; 15. Bandise Maku; 16. Lionel Mapoe; 17. Edgar Marutlulle; 18. Derick Minnie; 19. Michael Rhodes; 20. Joshua Strauss; 21. Jaco Taute; 22. Franco vd Merwe; 23. Wikus van Heerden; 24. Deon van Rensburg; 25. Jano Vermaak; 26. Warren Whitely
Obviously the squad is subject to any injuries that may manifest themselves after the loss to the Cheetahs on Friday 6th May, the biggest concern of which is possibly to Doppies la Grange who was sent for x-rays for a knock immediately after the game.
The notable inclusion is that of Butch James who has been released early from his commitments at Bath in England, while the notable exception is that of Waylon Murray who would appear to have fallen foul of the coaching staff.
Speaking about the touring squad immediately after the Cheetahs match, Lions Head Coach John Mitchell stated that he was looking forwards to having the experience of Butch James in the squad, and that his inclusion would go a long way to settling the younger players. Michell reiterated however that James would have to earn his place on the park and would have to do so playing from the bench initially.
Concerning Murray’s absence from the touring squad Mitchell stated that he (Murray) would have to re-earn his opportunity to represent the Lions, and would only be joining the squad “down under” in the event of injuries requiring the team to call for replacements.
The tour fixtures are:
Sat 14 May 2011 – v Brumbies – Canberra.
Sat 21 May 2011 – v Waratahs – Sydney.
Sat 28 May 2011 – v Highlanders – Dunedin.
Sat 4 June 2011 – v Hurricanes – Wellington.
A tough tour under the circumstances.
The Lions will do well not to take 4 hidings.
Hopefully Mitchell will be able to mould the young men a little and perhaps learn a bit more about THEM that will help him (and the team) in the future.
@ Scrumdown:
Do you also get the feeling that Michell is losing the plot? Somehow i saw this coming. The Lions could not handle Boshoff’s discipline and harsh words, Michell have a reputation of being rude most of the time, maybe the city nanny boy culture is the problem in Joburg.
Before Mitchell came to the Lions, correct me if my memory slipped, but he had a player revolt in Australia too. They could not work with him. I just wonder how Loffie must be laughing at the Lions now. At least he had n win ratio of 1/5 now since he left they are down to 1/25. Shocking.
@ superBul:
I’ve said many times that I think the problems at the Lions go far deeper than what happens with the professional team on the field.
It’s about the “culture” within the Union and the type and quality of people employed there, as well as the (IMO) lack of good business procedures and structures.
Any “real” business with their results , (both financial and performance) would have been forced to close the doors a long time ago.
They’ve been given a lifeline financially, but if they fail to use it wisely it may just act as a front end loader digging a bigger hole for them.
Ever heard of a Sporting Franchise filing for bankruptcy in South Africa?
@ Scrumdown:
I really want them to survive and become he old reliable team to smash our main contenders back, we(Bulls) liked it when your team took points of the Cheetahs, Stormers and Sharks. So come on get your act together. :GRIN:
I could not watch any rugby since Friday morning , but i could not believe my eyes when i saw the hiding you guys got from the Cheeahs.
Don’t be surprised to see Ruan Pienaar in action for the Bulls in a week or so.
Depending on the progress of Pienaar’s Irish club, Ulster in the Magners league, the 47-Test veteran could find himself playing for the Bulls for the rest of the Super Rugby season.
Sport24 have been informed that Bok coach Peter de Villiers is busy negotiating with Pienaar’s club to try and convince them to allow him to play his rugby in South Africa for the next couple of months.
De Villiers is keen to let Pienaar and Frans Steyn – who plays for Racing Metro in France – get used to the tempo of Super Rugby.
Ulster are playing against Leinster in the Magners League final next weekend. If they lose, it will allow Pienaar to board a plane back to South Africa the next day to join the Bulls or maybe even the Stormers for the remainder of the Super-season.
It will be good news for both these teams, but probably more so for the Bulls, who have had a torrid season thus far.
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