The Emirates Lions return to Europe this week in what could arguably be a season-defining fortnight.
The next block of four matches – two of them on the other side of the world – could possibly have a major impact on the Joburgers’ ambitions. Several areas within the Lions’ systems – squad depth the foremost – will be stress tested. Logistics and player management will also come under intense scrutiny as coach Ivan van Rooyen and Co consider their options in games against Munster, the Ospreys, Pau and the Stormers.
The first two are in Limerick and Swansea, respectively, the former a United Rugby Championship (URC encounter), the latter an EPCR Challenge Cup clash. Thereafter, the Lions will have to rush home for French outfit Pau, also in the Challenge Cup, before finishing up the year against the Stormers in Cape Town in the URC.
The schedule between the Ospreys and Pau, in particular, has a tight turnaround and a lot of travel. It is quite possible that this Saturday, Van Rooyen will select his first-choice 23, then have the bulk of them return to prepare for Pau and the Stormers, selecting a “B-team” to face the Welsh franchise.
The Bulls and Jake White face a similar conundrum with games against Connacht in the URC and Saracens away, before returning to Loftus Versfeld for a mid-December clash against Northampton Saints (both in the Champions Cup) and a final URC game for the year against the Sharks in Durban.
Said the coach, last week, at the Lions’ Awards evening: “We feel we have a squad that we can rotate for both competitions.
“We want to pick as good as we can at home. We picked a side against Montpellier and Perpignan away in which we won the one and the other we lost by five points. The group that played the Currie Cup played for a reason as well, to get playing and get fit and get ready so that we can use them.
“Players like Renzo (du Plessis), Jarod (Cairns), Nico (Steyn) and all of them, showed what the Currie Cup did for them. I don't want to use the word rotate, it sounds demeaning. We feel the squad is a lot closer and that the difference between players one, two, and three is really minimal.
“There is an opportunity in this block to use the squad … The Sharks also showed that if you concentrate on one competition, you probably have a better chance. For now, we are probably going to go full guns for both.”
The Lions are currently fourth in the URC standings on 18 points. They are one point behind the leading SA franchise, the Bulls, and a further four points behind defending champions Glasgow Warriors. They trial runaway leaders Leinster – on 29 points – by 11 points.
Meanwhile the Stormers will be getting key players back as they look to turn their ship around in the URC and navigate the tricky waters of the Champions Cup.
It's expected that Springboks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Ben-Jason Dixon, and captain Salmaan Moerat will all make a return, possibly this weekend, when the Cape side travel to Durban to face the Sharks. They've all been sweating with the team in the Western Cape sun over the last couple of weeks to get match-ready.
Fetcher-flanker Deon Fourie has also recovered from a long injury layoff, and although he has targeted a comeback against the Stormers’ coastal rivals, director of rugby John Dobson aims to have him back in December only.
Three other important Springboks, Damian Willemse, Evan Roos, and Steven Kitshoff, will only be available next year as they continue to recover from serious injuries that kept them out of the Springboks' year-end tour.
The inaugural champions have struggled without their Boks in the new season and are currently in 13th position out of the 16 URC teams. They will target the King's Park clash to get back to winning ways and build some momentum ahead of their first Champions Cup clash against Toulon in Gqeberha next month.