Lions brace for tough clash against Bulls

Lions flanker Sibusiso Sangweni says they are expecting a dogfight in the Jukskei derby with the Bulls at Ellis Park on Saturday (4.05pm) in the opening encounter of the new United Rugby Championship season. 

This new season starts on a positive note for Sangweni. Speaking to the Sowetan in July, he stated that he aimed to emerge as a key player for the franchise this season and that he would put in the hard yards in the preseason.

The hard work Sangweni put in during the off-season did not go unnoticed. He will start in the No 6 jersey in the first game of the new campaign. Sangweni knows that the hard work he put in will be for nothing if he does not show up when it matters. 

"It’s very important for me, I need to show that the hard yards I’ve put in matter. They are only going to matter if I perform on Saturday and give my best, which is what I’ll do this weekend and try to stake my claim for a place in the team," Sangweni said. 

“Last season we were treading on unknown water; it was my first season in the URC and I was fortunate to play 10 games. So I can be able to bring that experience of not being necessarily frantic but bringing the calmness in the team and be composed and be the tunnel vision to the mission of the day," he said. 

Sangweni will form a loose trio with Ruhan Straeuli and Franke Horn. They will be against a formidable Bulls loose trio that is likely to be spearheaded by captain Marcell Coetzee. The battle of the loose trios is set to be one to look out for. 

“It’s going to be a dogfight. They have a quality loose trio, we’ve also grown as a team during the preseason we’ve had," said Sangweni. 

“We put up our best loose trio playing for us on Saturday. We just have to bring up our A game. We are called underdogs right now. It’s nice sometimes to be the underdog because then people don’t have expectations. You can just surprise people," he said.