Lions to return to winning ways against the Stormers

Colin Newboult
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After the British and Irish Lions’ only loss on tour, Warren Gatland’s men face their final challenge ahead of the opening Test when they take on the Stormers for the first time ever.

It is the last opportunity for players to impress as Gatland prepares to name his side to go head-to-head with the Springboks next Thursday.

To an extent, the side that faces the Stormers are at a disadvantage in comparison to the 23 which took to the field against South Africa ‘A’ on Wednesday. With Rassie Erasmus and Jacques Nienaber effectively selecting an international outfit, it gave the visiting coaches a better indication of where the individuals are at going into the three-match series.

For someone like Tom Curry, who hadn’t quite produced his best so far, his stunning display in Cape Town automatically catapulted him into the Test equation.

It means the best and most consistent flanker prior to that clash, Scotland’s Hamish Watson, has some ground to make up and may miss out on the starting XV, even if he once again shines against the Stormers.

Similar to the Sigma Lions and Sharks which went before them, the tourists should not have too many problems in dispatching their opponents on Saturday, but there is more talent and physicality in the hosts’ ranks.

In fact, John Dobson’s men could give the Lions a fright, with the tourists’ spine certainly not looking as strong as the midweek outfit.

There are still plenty of conundrums for Gatland, though, with the two best wings on tour, Duhan van der Merwe and Josh Adams, playing together on Saturday, Robbie Henshaw finally returning after injury and Adam Beard getting a start after impressing against South Africa ‘A.’

The big story, however, comes with the selection of Marcus Smith at fly-half in the absence of the injured Dan Biggar and the rested Owen Farrell.

Smith has enjoyed a stunning rise over the past few months and it will be fascinating to see whether his incredible talent can translate onto this grand stage, particularly having had very little preparation time.

What they said

Lions head coach Warren Gatland expects to see a quality performance from his charges as players attempt to put their hands up for Test selection.

“For the matchday 23 it’s their last opportunity to stake a claim for a Test place, so I expect to see a highly motivated group of players,” he said.

“It is particularly pleasing to be able to name Stuart Hogg in the squad. He’s not had much luck on Lions tours to date, so it’ll be great to see him cross the whitewash again with the captain’s armband.

“I’m also delighted that Marcus will get his first start in a Lions jersey. I’ve been really impressed with his attitude since coming into camp this week; he’s been like a sponge for information.

“Obviously it’s a tight turnaround from Wednesday’s game but we’re in pretty good shape. The South Africa ‘A’ game was a physical encounter – we always knew it would be – but we’ve come out of it pretty much intact and ready to go again.

“We learnt a lot from Wednesday’s game and I hope the defeat will serve us well. There are still some areas of the game we need to tighten up on, particularly reducing our turnover rate.”

Stormers boss John Dobson is looking forward to a “historic” clash against the Lions but admitted they would have moved aside if the tourists wanted to face South Africa ‘A’ for the second time.

“Any match against the British and Irish Lions is a historic occasion and we will be doing everything we can to do justice to the magnitude of this game,” Dobson said.

“For our players, we are thrilled the game is going ahead, but we obviously would have acted in the interests of South African rugby.

“It’s a tricky position to be in. You want the guys to experience what will be a great occasion for us and at the same time you want to help the national cause.

“I completely understand Warren’s position. I think playing the provincial teams keeps some of sort integrity of what is a tour.

“We would have gone with whatever we were told to do, but we are really keen to play and we are appreciative.

“Maybe Warren feels a week out from the Test match is a nice chance for him to get through some patterns and hopefully we will do our best to disrupt that.”

Players to watch

It is a huge game for a number of players but probably none more so than centre Robbie Henshaw. You have to feel for the Irishman, who was the man in possession of the shirt prior to the tour but has seen himself potentially slip behind his competitors in the pecking order due to a hamstring issue. It has been a similar story to four years ago where Henshaw went into the tour in good shape only for poor form and injury to rule him out of Test contention. He will be desperate to avoid that scenario this time around but the 28-year-old is under significant pressure to produce this weekend.

Henshaw, and the rest of the outside backs, are to a degree reliant on the fly-half inside them, with Marcus Smith the man to guide the team from the crucial 10 position. Handed his Lions debut just a few days after arriving as injury cover for Finn Russell, the Harlequins and England playmaker is a terrific talent, but it is a lot to ask for him to get up to speed straight away. Warren Gatland has no other option, though, with Dan Biggar nursing an ankle problem and Owen Farrell playing the full 80 minutes on Wednesday. However, Smith has the skills to put in a fine performance and potentially put himself in the Test equation should Biggar’s and Russell’s injury problems persist.

Up front, we have already intimated at the job Hamish Watson has on his hands following Tom Curry’s performance on Wednesday, while Tadhg Furlong and Rory Sutherland are also under pressure after the efforts of Kyle Sinckler, Wyn Jones and Mako Vunipola against South Africa ‘A’. As for Adam Beard, the story is slightly different. The lock made a significant impact on Wednesday and this is an opportunity to build on his burgeoning Lions reputation and get himself into the Test 23.

Beard will come up against JD Schickerling and captain Ernst van Rhyn in the second-row on Saturday, two very talented players for the Stormers. Schickerling and Van Rhyn may not be Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert, but they are both gifted individuals and excelled at age-grade level for South Africa. Although they haven’t made the step up to the top level, the fact that Van Rhyn, in particular, has been made skipper at the age of 23 shows just how highly he is regarded by head coach John Dobson.

They, alongside the front-row, will be looking to provide a stable platform which will allow outstanding young number eight Evan Roos to roam around the field. Roos has been one of the stars of the Currie Cup and is another one of those powerhouse carriers you tend to get in South Africa. He and another superb athlete, Nama Xaba, are exceptional ball carriers and can create holes in the Lions’ defence, which will no doubt benefit their speedy backline.

There is no lack of pace behind the scrum for the Stormers, with Sergeal Petersen a consistent threat from full-back and Seabelo Senatla a former star of the Sevens team. The power comes from centres Dan du Plessis and Rikus Pretorius, who form a physical partnership which will test Henshaw and Elliot Daly,

Main head-to-head

There are several intriguing clashes, from Jack Conan’s battle with Roos to Tadhg Beirne’s duel with the brother of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Johan, but we’ve gone with a head-to-head between two talented fly-halves in the shape of Tim Swiel and Marcus Smith. The Stormers pivot was in the same Harlequins squad as the recently capped England man, but left once it became clear he was never going to usurp the then-teenager.

After that, he moved to Newcastle Falcons before returning home to South Africa where he has since rekindled his career. Once regarded as a huge talent, Swiel has never quite fulfilled that undoubted promise, but being back in his homeland has evidently paid dividends. His game-management has improved while he has kicked well off the tee, helping the Cape Town-based team to successive late wins over the Lions and Sharks in the Rainbow Cup.

He will also be one of the quickest players on the field, which means the Lions will have to deny him space. Swiel doesn’t have the class of Smith but he is in a system which he obviously knows well, something which can’t be said of the Englishman. The Premiership winner is a quick learner, however, and Warren Gatland has been impressed with the two-times capped international, despite bringing him to the tour late. It is a big test of Smith’s capabilities, but the talented playmaker should be given an easier ride by his powerful pack of forwards in front of him.

Prediction

There are threats in the Stormers team, probably more so than the Sharks and Lions, but again the Lions will be too strong. The hosts will no doubt look to get to the inexperienced Marcus Smith but, if they fail in that quest, it could get quite messy. British and Irish Lions by 25 points.

The teams

Stormers: 15 Sergeal Petersen, 14 Seabelo Senatla, 13 Rikus Pretorius, 12 Dan du Plessis, 11 Edwill van der Merwe, 10 Tim Swiel, 9 Godlen Masimla, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Johan du Toit, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 JD Schickerling, 4 Ernst van Rhyn (c), 3 Neethling Fouche, 2 JJ Kotze, 1 Leon Lyons
Replacements (from): 16 Andre-Hugo Venter, 17 Kwenzo Blose, 18 Sazi Sandi, 19 Justin Basson, 20 Marcel Theunissen, 21 Thomas Bursey, 22 Abner van Reenen, 23 Juan de Jongh, 24 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 25 Niel Otto, 26 Leolin Zas, 27 Cornel Smit

British and Irish Lions: 15 Stuart Hogg (c), 14 Josh Adams, 13 Elliot Daly, 12 Robbie Henshaw, 11 Duhan van der Merwe, 10 Marcus Smith, 9 Ali Price, 8 Jack Conan, 7 Hamish Watson, 6 Tadhg Beirne, 5 Jonny Hill, 4 Adam Beard, 3 Tadhg Furlong, 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie, 1 Rory Sutherland
Replacements: 16 Jamie George, 17 Mako Vunipola, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Alun Wyn Jones, 20 Sam Simmonds, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Chris Harris, 23 Louis Rees-Zammit

Date: Saturday, July 17
Venue: Cape Town Stadium
Kick-off: 18:00 local (17:00 BST, 16:00 GMT)
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant Referees: Jaco Peyper (South Africa), AJ Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)

British and Irish Lions