Lions suffer Whitely blow as captain is ruled out of semifinal showdown

28 July 2016 - 19:34 By Chumani Bambani

A week ago the Lions were celebrating the return from a shoulder injury of captain Warren Whiteley. But on Thursday the side was dealt a deflating blow when the influential leader was ruled out of Saturday's Super Rugby semifinal clash against the Highlanders.After missing the last couple of Super Rugby pool matches following what appeared to be a serious shoulder injury while on international duty last month‚ the 28-year-old Whiteley returned to lead his side to victory against the Crusaders in the quarterfinals at Ellis Park last weekend.But the No8 left the field with an injured calf‚ a setback that the team initially thought was minor.The Lions’ medical staff pulled all the stops to get the inspiring player fully fit for the crucial semifinal against the Super Rugby defending champions on Saturday‚ but it was not to be.“He unfortunately tweaked a calf muscle‚” Lions coach Johan Ackermann revealed when announcing his team for the semi on Thursday afternoon.“He did not win the race in time to recover‚ so we could not select him.”Flanker Jaco Kriel‚ who has stepped in as team captain in the absence of Whiteley throughout the season‚ will once again assume the leadership role of the side.While relishing the opportunity to lead the Lions in such a crucial match‚ Kriel admitted that the loss of Whiteley is a major setback.“It is always an honour to lead the Lions team‚” Kriel said.“We are certainly going to miss Warren. He is such an inspirational leader and a courageous player.“But I am happy about my role for this weekend.”Whiteley’s place in the team will be taken by Ruan Ackermann‚ who has competently filled the void when coming on as a substitute or starting at the back of the scrum in the captain’s place during the season.The Lions coach believes that the team can perform with the same intensity they have displayed this season even without Whiteley‚ as they have done before.“We could not have planned for it‚ but the whole year we have been saying to the players that if they are not starting in the match-23 then they must make sure they are [ready] when the opportunity opens up‚” said the coach.The coach is confident that his son‚ Ackermann Junior‚ will hold his own in what is expected to be a high-pressure match.“He played against them (Highlanders) in New Zealand‚ so it can’t be something new for him‚ it’s the same players. The only difference is that it is at home now‚” the Lions coach said.“We have not sat down and talked about it [with Ackermann Junior] because the decision was only made today (Thursday). It is an opportunity for him‚ but the secret is to treat it like it’s just another game.“At this stage my expectation from the whole group is to treat it as any other week. The only difference is that there will be more people in the stadium‚ but we must stick to doing what we do – at the same intensity and same accuracy.”The Lions will also be without backup scrumhalf Ross Cronje‚ who injured his ankle while scoring a try in the quarterfinal last week.His place on the bench will be taken by Dillon Smit.The match will kickoff at 3pm on Saturday.The Lions team is: Andries Coetzee‚ Ruan Combrinck‚ Lionel Mapoe‚ Rohan Janse van Rensburg‚ Courtnall Skosan‚ Elton Jantjies‚ Faf de Klerk‚ Ruan Ackermann‚ Warwick Tecklenburg‚ Jaco Kriel‚ Franco Mostert‚ Andries Ferreira‚ Julian Redelinghuys‚ Malcolm Marx‚ Dylan Smith. Replacements: Armand van der Merwe‚ Corne Fourie‚ Jacques van Rooyen‚ Lourens Erasmus‚ Steph de Witt‚ Dillon Smit‚ Howard Mnisi‚ Jaco van der Walt...

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