Kriel back in the pack for the Lions

Stalwart Jaco Kriel is back in the Lions starting line-up for their United Rugby Championship (URC) opener against Zebre in Parma on Friday.

Kriel, who has been beset by injury, last played in January when the Lions confronted the Bulls at Loftus. Their coach Ivan van Rooyen believes though that the Bok flank is finally good to go. His return will be managed carefully.

“It's good to have him back. We'll probably pull him after 40, 50 minutes. We won't break him in the first game by playing him for 80 minutes and then not have him available. Obviously the knees, ankles, the joints need a bit of oil but he's going to bring leadership, experience, confidence and direction,” said Van Rooyen.

Another veteran, prop Ruan Dreyer, earns a start ahead of Sti Sithole who is still working his way back to optimal output. “Sti came back from injury a week or two ago. Ruan is in good form and good physical condition. He's very experienced,” said the coach about the Bok prop.

The Lions, who have the honour of playing in the opener, aren't over-thinking their entry into a revamped competition, against new opposition in a different hemisphere. Van Rooyen argues it was about clarity and simplicity in their messaging in the build-up.

With Zebre widely regarded as the least competitive team in the competition, the Lions are presented with the mild complication of not knowing too much about the Italian outfit.

“We managed to get some footage of them including some from the Rainbow Cup, but the last two weeks we've tried to focus on our systems, our intensity, our intent. It's about 70 to 80% on us and 20% on what we saw,” stressed the coach.

Van Rooyen explained they may rely heavily on tactical kicking to get them places in the initial part of the competition. “We've got good tactical kickers at nine, 10 and 15.

“We'll probably be a little more conservative in the first two, three games. We want to keep it simple. They like to play a tempo and phase game and they try to keep the ball alive.”

The conditions may also dictate how the Lions go about their business as the ball is likely to be a little greasy.

“It's humid here. It's a little bit like Nelspruit, 60, 80km away from the coast,” said the coach.

Captain Burger Odendaal said the Lions are enthused by the prospect of going into a new tournament. “This is very exciting for all of us. A couple of guys have played here before but it is a debut game for all of us and that hasn't happened for a long time.”

The Lions team to play Zebre is: EW Viljoen; Jamba Ulengo; Wandisile Simelane; Burger Odendaal (captain); Rabz Maxwane; Jordan Hendrickse; Andre Warner; Francke Horne; Vincent Tshituka; Jaco Kriel; Pieter Jansen-van Vuuren; Ruben Schoeman; Carlu Sadie; Jaco Visagie; Ruan Dreyer. Substitutes: PJ Botha; Sti Sithole; Asenathi Ntlabakanye; Reinhard Nothnagel; Sibusiso Sangweni; Morne van den Berg; Eddie Fouche; Divan Rossouw.

Kickoff: 18.35