The unbeaten Lions now move onto Cape Town to take on Western Province in the fifth fixture of the 2009 Lions tour of South Africa. The Lions struggled to a victory against the Cheetahs, who missed a match winning drop goal last weekend (26-24), But bounced back well to beat a woeful, Springbok starved, Sharks Team on Wednesday. (39-3)
The Stormers (the Super 14 franchise associated with Western Province)were placed 5th in the 2008 Super 14 but under achieved in 2009 ending the season in 10th place. Province will no doubt have have to play their best rugby to topple a now confident Lions outfit. Like the Sharks, Western Province will be missing key players through injury and Springboks selection:
Missing Springboks:
Jean de Villiers (Province Captain), Schalk Burger, Ricky Januarie and Andries Bekker.
Injury List:
Conrad Jantjies, Brian Mujati, Adriaan Fondse, Sireli Naqelevuki, Dylan des Fountain and Hilton Lobberts.
Controversial Province captain Luke Watson, along with Super 14 star Duane Vermeulen will be keen to battle the lions at the breakdown, an area they have been struggling with throughout the tour. The Lions will want to continue their good form at scrum time and it will be a real challenge for Province to front up in this area. The Province pack is a real mix of youthful exuberance and experience. Wicus Blaau, the promising young prop , now with a full season of Super rugby behind him, will be eager to test himself against Lions captain Phil Vickery.
For Western Province to pull an historic victory out of the bag they will have to replicate the strong defense that they showed during the Super 14. The Stormers ended the season with a top 5 defensive record. They will also have to take the opportunities when they come, with a strong back line we could see some exciting attacks. Over the last 4 matches the Lions have shown that they consistantly make silly errors and if Province can capitalize on a couple of these they may just be able to provide the first upset of the tour.
Forwads Battles:
Duane Vermeulen vs Martyn Williams: Vermeulen was the stand out player for the Stormers this season and would have been disappointed not to be in the Springbok squad. He will be despirate to prove himself on the international level against the Welsh veteran.
Backs Battles:
Peter Grant (Top Right)vs Riki Flutey: The Springbok Grant will be seething after being left out of both the Springboks and the Emerging Springboks, his consistency for both Province and the Stormers will no dout shine through against the Lions. However Flutey is a formidable opponent will Super rugby experience playing for the Hurricanes. This battle at center will definitely be one to watch.
Teams:
WESTERN PROVINCE: 15 Joe Pietersen, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Morgan Newman, 12 Peter Grant, 11 Gobani Bobo, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Dewaldt Duvenhage, 8 Luke Watson(Cpt), 7 Duane Vermeulen, 6 Pieter Louw, Anton van Zyle, 4 Martin Muller, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Tiaan Liebenberg, 1 Wicus Blaauw.
REPLACEMENTS: 16 Hanyani Shimange, 17 JD Moller, 18 De Kock Steenkamp, 19 Zandre Jordaan, 20 Conrad Hoffmann, 21 JJ Engelbrecht, 22 Gio Aplon.
British and Irish Lions: 15 Rob Kearney, 14 Tommy Bowe, 13 Keith Earls, 12 Riki Flutey, 11 Ugo Monye, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Harry Ellis, 8 Andy Powell, 7 Martyn Williams, 6 Joe Worsley, 5 Nathan Hines, 4 Donnocha O'Callaghan, 3 Phil Vickery(Cpt), 2 Matthew Rees, 1 Andrew Sheridan.
Replacements: 16 Ross Ford, 17 Euan Murry, 18 Simon Shaw, 19 Tom Croft, 20 Mike Blair, 21 James Hook, 22 Gordan D'Arcy
Betting Odds:
Ladbrokes.com:
Western Province win: 5/1
Draw: 22/1
Lions win: 1/9
MM
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