The embattled Lions have called on three Currie Cup winners from the Griquas in an attempt to arrest their disappointing start to the United Rugby Championship (URC), the union revealed on Tuesday.
Props Eddie Davids and Leon Lyons, and hooker Janco Uys – all from the Kimberley-based team – have joined the Joburgers, along with lock Dylan de Leeuw from the Bulls, on loan for the rest of the URC season.
Davids (27), Lyons (26) and Uys (25) all played in the Currie Cup final to help guide the Griquas to a shock 27-25 victory over the favoured Lions at Ellis Park in mid-September. They were rock solid in the set-piece on the day, holding the much-fancied Lions scrum at bay for most of the game.
Along with props Cebo Dlamini and Ig Prinsloo, and replacement hooker Tian Lange, the Griquas lost only one scrum on the day, staring down franchise regulars Franco Marais, Morne Brandon, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, SJ Kotze, Juan Schoeman and his namesake RF.
Former Zebre lock De Leeuw (23), meanwhile, has had limited game time at the Bulls since joining the Pretoria-based side earlier this year from the Italian outfit. He played in five of their Currie Cup games this past season, the last of which was at the end of August in a 44-5 loss to the Lions.
The Lions faithful will hope that the injection of some new blood will help revitalise their URC campaign, which has started off listlessly with three consecutive losses to Cardiff Rugby, Zebre and Benetton. The defeats have already placed immense pressure on head coach Ivan van Rooyen and his charges’ ambition to finally breach the top eight of the URC.
The most recent loss, against Benetton, was especially jarring as the Lions failed to impose themselves in any meaningful way on their hosts and were physically outplayed in a 41-15 defeat.
Moreover, the losses seemed to reveal a side thin on confidence and low on morale, and perhaps the introduction of a championship-winning mentality might uplift the squad as they prepare for two URC matches before the November international break.
On Saturday, the Lions – who are 15th in the standings with one point – face the equally discontented, 16th-placed and winless Scarlets of Wales (kick-off 1.45pm) at Ellis Park, followed a week later by Ulster. Victory in both matches will alleviate some of the pressure on the team, although it is highly unlikely to quell calls from frustrated supporters to reconsider the composition of the technical team.
It remains to be seen whether the quartet will be selected for this weekend’s clash. That will be revealed on Friday when the matchday 23 is announced.
