Lions vs Cheetahs cc 2015

OFFICIAL

MATCH

PROGRAMME

XEROX GOLDEN LIONS VS

TOYOTA FREE STATE CHEETAHS 17 OCTOBER

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CONTENTS president’s message

05

XEROX message

07

only the second semi

10

XEROX GOLDEN LIONS PLAYER pictures

17

XEROX GOLDEN LIONS VS free state cheetahs - 13H45

20

TOYOTA FREE STATE CHEETAHS PLAYER pictures

23

freeze frame

27

FULL Golden Lions SQUAD LISTS

31

season’s results

32

PUBLISHER: Wim van der Berg • EDITOR: Annemie Bester • GRAPHIC DESIGN: Apple Undo • ADVERTISING: Annemie Bester GLRU MEDIA LIASON: Annemie Bester • PHOTOGRAPHY: Deon van der Merwe - www.deonvandermerwe.co.za

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Cell: 083 604 0389 • wimvdb@iafrica.com

Copyright © 2015 Rugby Varia. The opinions expressed in the publication are not necessarily those of Rugby Varia or the Golden Lions Rugby Union.

PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE

Welcome to this semi-final!

Welcome to Emirates Airline Park this afternoon for this much awaited Currie Cup Semi-final.

Welcome to the Free State Cheetahs management staff and players. We trust that this will be the spectacle of rugby that lovers of the game have come to expect from these two sides.

It has been a wonderful season for the Xerox Golden Lions with a ten out of ten by the side that has last been done 65 years ago.

Needless to say we are immensely proud of Coach Ackers and Swys, our coaching and medical staff and our young men of great courage, spirit and character, our Players .

The support from Altmann Ahlers and Rudolf Straeuli in our business remains enormous.

We thank all our sponsors without whom these achievements would not be possible.

We thank you, our supporters and are confident we will make you proud today.

Finally, as a collective of many dynamics in our business, we trust that we will close out this match and season as a record-breaking one. Good luck to all and enjoy the game.

Kevin de Klerk President: Golden Lions Rugby Union

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video

xerox message

MESSAGE FROM THE CEO OF BYTES DOCUMENT SOLUTIONS What a brilliant Currie Cup season it has been for the Xerox Golden Lions, winning every round robin match and only missing out on two bonus points for the entire season. With this amazing performance, the Xerox Lions are set to become the first team in nearly twenty years to go unbeaten in a season.

Last Saturday’s match against the Griquas was one of the most difficult as the team wanted to maintain their unbeaten, proud record and at the same time not risk injury to any of the key players ahead of the semi-finals. As a result a number of less experienced players had to rise to the challenge to give the first-choice players a rest ahead of the semi-finals. But they did so in true Xerox Golden Lions style - prepared to run with the ball at every opportunity and looking for openings to score. It was great rugby to watch with a 29-19 win.

It has been a privilege for us at Xerox to be associated with the Xerox Golden Lions in reaching the semi-finals. We have witnessed some truly memorable moments, and are incredibly proud to be sponsoring the Xerox Lions. I believe that the Currie Cup is a showcase for rugby which will help grow the game through its excitement and increasing fan base.

I would like to wish Johan Ackerman, all his coaching and backroom staff and the players the best of luck in the game against the Free State Cheetahs today. Johan Ackermann has led the team very ably, and can be very proud of what he has achieved, as we are. We are behind you all the way and look forward to you going through to the finals.

We would also like to thank all our fans for their support. Your cheers have been that “extra boost” that the players need when things got tough. Thank You! Today we need your support more than ever as we cheer the Xerox Golden Lions through this last hurdle before the Currie Cup Final. It’s going to be a great cat fight, but we know that lions use their size, strength and power to bring down bigger animals. So let’s make today’s game the big one as we roar for every scrum, every lineout, every ruck, every maul and every time a Xerox Golden Lions player has the ball in hand.

Let’s help to bring the Cup back to Gauteng.

Let’s Roar with Pride – Go Manne!

Johan Basson CEO of Bytes Document Solutions 7 www.lionsrugby.co.za

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Only the second

semi between today’s

adversaries By: Piet Ebersohn It seems hard to believe, but today’s match is only the second time that the Golden Lions and the Free State Cheetahs meet in a Currie Cup semi-final since the first one was played more than 60 years ago in 1954.

The previous and only semi-final between the two teams was in 2002, when the Lions won quite comfortably 43-29 in Bloemfontein.

They were, however, in turn beaten 31-7 by a rampant Blue Bulls side at Ellis Park in the ensuing final.

Down the years the Lions and their predecessors, Transvaal, contested 17 Currie Cup semi-finals and won 11 of those (64,7%); the Free State Cheetahs, formerly Free State, played in 19 semi-finals, but won only eight (42,1%).

Of the resulting finals Transvaal/Lions won five out of 11 with one draw (50%), and Free State/ Cheetahs won three from eight and played one draw (43.75%).

was rather a play-off than a semi, because the two teams completed the round robin with equal points on the log. Western Province then controversially beat Northerns 11-8 in the final at Newlands when referee Ralph Burmeister disallowed what seemed a certain try by the visitors’ wing Francois Roux.

• Free State were also part of probably the biggest upset of all in Currie Cup semis when lowly Natal (now the Sharks) beat them 26-15 in Durban in 1984.

In those days the six strongest teams contested the A Division of the Currie Cup, and the next six in line contested the B Division.

As a consolation to the B teams to also vie for the Currie Cup title, the top two B Division sides played the top two A Division teams in the semis. Free State were second in the A Division and Natal topped the B Division, rating them the 7th best team in the competition.

Transvaal’s 56 points in 1995 remains the highest score in a Currie Cup final.

So sure were the Free State rugby bosses that their team would win and be off to Newlands for the final that they had started distributing the complimentary tickes for the final at Newlands before the semi-final in Durban. The match tickets carried the name of Free State as the opponents for the Newlands final and had to be destroyed and reprinted.

• Free State played in the very first so-called semi-final in 1954. Northern Transvaal (nowadays the Blue Bulls) beat them 9-8. It

• The Cheetahs dramatically entered the 2015 semis by scoring two converted tries in the last five minutes to hold the Sharks to a 34-34

The two teams twice met in finals. Transvaal won 56-33 in Bloemfontein in 1994, and the Cheetahs 20-18, also in Bloemfontein, in 2007.

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draw in Bloemfontein last weekend, thereby ousting the KZN team from the play-offs.

The deciding conversion came after the final hooter.

• The Lions’ qualification for the final was built on the sound foundation of an unbeaten round robin stage in which they earned eight try bonus points as well. Their campaign included a terrific 73-31 victory against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein three weeks ago.

The Cheetahs had to adapt to two substantial midseason changes for their Currie Cup campaign after the Super Rugby series, but did admirably in this respect.

Franco Smith took over from long-serving Free State and Cheetahs head coach Naka Drotsky; and they ‘swopped’ fly-halves (and place kickers) with the Sharks. Joe Pietersen crossed the Drakensberg eastwards, while Fred Zeilinga set up residence in Bloemfontein.

The Golden Lions in turn enjoyed a stable coaching tenure for the past few seasons, with Johan Ackermann and Swys de Bruin at the helm, and the Springbok selectors largely ignoring the local stars.

Today’s home team boasts the top scorer in the 2015 Currie Cup series in fly-half Marnitz Boshoff. His tally of 152 consists of a try, 39 conversions, 20 penalties and three drop goals.

Pietersen, previously of the Cheetahs and now of the Sharks, finished the season with 126 and Zeilinga, the Cheetahs’ incumbent, was sixth with 61. He has sat out the last number of matches due to injury, though.

Two of the leading Currie Cup try scorers are wearing the Red and White today. Kwagga Smith, in second place, dotted down nine times and Courtnall Skosan (third) seven times.

Ironically, 11-try top scorer Jamba Ulengo of the Blue Bulls started his career a few years ago with the Cheetahs.

All in all the Lions scored an impressive 52 tries in their ten round robin matches. The Cheetahs managed 35.

• Although the Cheetahs won only three of their ten Currie Cup matches this year and drew twice, the Lions should keep in mind the wry lesson Free State learned in 1984 in Durban.

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player pictures • XEROX golden LIONS Vs toyota free state cheetahs

FABIAN BOOYSEN

Marnitz Boshoff

Andries Coetzee

Robbie Coetzee

Ross Cronje

Steph de Witt

Ruan Dreyer

Lourens Erasmus

Stokkies Hanekom

Rohan Janse van Rensburg

Jaco Kriel (c)

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player pictures • XEROX golden LIONS Vs toyota free state cheetahs

Malcolm Marx

Sampie Mastriet

Howard Mnisi

Franco Mostert

Julian Redelinghuys

Courtnall Skosan

Kwagga Smith

Jacques van Rooyen

Jaco van der Walt

Anthony Volmink

Warren Whiteley

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15 Andries Coetzee 14 Courtnall Skosan

11 Anthony Volmink

MATCH O Referee: Jaco AR1: Rasta AR2: Stephan TMO: Mari

13 Stokkies Hanekom 12 Howard Mnisi 10 Marnitz Boshoff 9 Ross Cronje 6 Jaco Kriel (c)

8 Warren Whiteley

4 Lourens Erasmus 1 Jacques van Rooyen

7 Stephan de Witt

5 Franco Mostert

2 Malcolm Marx

3 Julian Redelinghuys

Saturday, 17 October 2015

Replacements: 16. Robbie Coetzee • 17. Ruan Dreyer • 18. Fabian Booysen 19. Kwagga Smith • 20. Jaco van der Walt 21. Rohan Janse van Rensburg • 22. Sampie Mastriet Head Coach: Johan Ackermann • Manager: Mustapha Boomgaard 20 www.lionsrugby.co.za

15 Clayton Blommetjies

OFFICIALS Van Heerden Rasivhenge n Geldenhuyss ius Jonker

14 Sergeal Petersen

11 Raymond Rhule

13 Francois Venter 12 Rayno Benjamin 10 Niel Marais 9 Shaun Venter 6 Boom Prinsloo

8 Niell Jordaan

4 Armandt Koster 1 BG Uys

7 Oupa Mohoje

5 Francois Uys (C)

2 Jacques du Toit

3 Luan De Bruin

Kick-off: 13h45

Replacements: 16. Torsten Van Jaarsveld • 17. Maks Van Dyk• 18. Reniel Hugo 19. Gerhard Olivier • 20. Ruan van Rensburg 21. Sias Ebersohn • 22. AJ Coertzen Head Coach: Franco Smith • Team Manager: Ashwell Rafferty www.lionsrugby.co.za 21

PLAYER PICTURES • XEROX GOLDEN LIONS VS TOYOTA FREE STATE CHEETAHS

RAYNO BENJAMIN

CLAYTON BLOMMETJIES

AJ COERTZEN

LUAN DE BRUIN

JACQUES DU TOIT

SIAS EBERSOHN

RENIEL HUGO

NIELL JORDAAN

ARMANDT KOSTER

NIEL MARAIS

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PLAYER PICTURES • XEROX GOLDEN LIONS VS TOYOTA FREE STATE CHEETAHS

GERHARD OLIVIER

SERGEAL PETERSEN

BOOM PRINSLOO

RAYMOND RHULE

BG UYS

FRANCOIS UYS (C)

MAKS VAN DYK

TORSTEN VAN JAARSVELD

RUAN VAN RENSBURG

FRANCOIS VENTER

SHAUN VENTER www.lionsrugby.co.za 25

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FREEZE

FRAME

Photo: deonvandermerwe.co.za

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SQUADS • XEROX golden LIONS Vs toyota free state cheetahs

Xerox Golden Lions squad Justin Ackerman • Fabian Booysen • Marnitz Boshoff • Andries Coetzee • Robbie Coetzee Ruan Combrinck • Ross Cronje • Stephan De Witt • Ruan Dreyer • Lourens Eramus Stokkies Hanekom • Alwyn Hollenbach • Lohan Jacobs • Jaco Kriel • Ruaan Lerm MB Lusaseni • Malcolm Marx • Sampie Mastriet • Derick Minnie • Howard Mnisi Franco Mostert • Martin Muller • Jacques Nel • Mark Pretorius • Julian Redelinghuys Mark Richards • Rick Schroeder • Courtnall Skosan • Kwagga Smith • Jaco Van der Walt Jacques Van Rooyen • Anthony Volmink • Harold Vorster • Vainon Willis

Xerox Golden Lions TEAM MANAGEMENT HEAD COACH: JOHAN ACKERMANN ASSISTANT COACH: SWYS DE BRUIN ASSISTANT COACH (Defence): JP Ferreira TEAM MANAGER: MUSTAPHA BOOMGAARD ASSISTANT TEAM MANAGER: JOHANE SINGWANE TEAM DOCTOR: DR ROB COLLINS • PHYSIOTHERAPIST: DAVID VAN WYK STRENGTH & CONDITIONING COACH: IVAN VAN ROOYEN TECHNICAL/PERFORMANCE ANALYST: JP FERREIRA

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ABSA CURRIE CUP Season’s Results AUGUST 2015 08

14:15

EP Kings vs Xerox Golden Lions - 14-51 (W)

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, PE

14

19:10

Xerox Golden Lions vs Steval Pumas 44 - 27 (W)

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

22

17:05

Cell C Sharks vs Xerox Golden Lions 16-31 (W)

Growthpoint KINGS PARK, Durban

28

19:10

Steval Pumas vs Xerox Golden Lions 11-41 (W)

Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit

September 2015 05

19:10

Xerox Golden Lions vs EP Kings 37-21 (W)

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

12

19:00

Vodacom Blue Bulls vs Xerox Golden Lions 28-36 (W)

Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria

19

14:30

Xerox Golden Lions vs Cell C Sharks 26-18 (W)

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

25

13:15

Toyota Free State vs Xerox Golden Lions 31-73 (W)

Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein

October 2015 02

18:00

Xerox Golden Lions vs DHL Western Province 62-32 (W)

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

10

14:00

Xerox Golden Lions vs ORC Griquas 29-19 (W)

Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg

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