Team News

New Emirates Lions recruit, Edwill van der Merwe is set to make his debut for the Johannesburg side when the Lions take on Cardiff Rugby on Sunday in Round 6 of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (VURC) at Emirates Airline Park.

Emirates Lions CEO Rudolf Straeuli and Head Coach Ivan van Rooyen briefed the media today ahead of the team’s first home game of the Vodacom Rugby Championship against Cardiff Rugby.

Emirates Lions forwards coach, Albert van den Berg believes studying opposition tactics remain a crucial aspect of team preparation. The former Bok lock will be at the helm of his team’s forward and line-out play ahead of their first home fixture against Cardiff Rugby in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship (VURC) at Emirates Airline Park on Sunday, 28 November.

The Emirates Lions have resumed their preparations for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship after a short break, and after a busy week of training, we had a catch up with Lions head coach, Ivan van Rooyen.

Tiaan Swanepoel and Willem Alberts are both fit to play after long term injuries.

Emirates Lions lock forward, Wilhelm van der Sluys has called time on his professional rugby career.

A man of the match performance by Jurich Claasens with both the boot and general play ensured the Lions U20 played tactical rugby in key areas of the field.

"Our approach will not be too different. Obviously, they have grown as a team as well, and there is just a bigger responsibility on us to execute our plans better this time around," explains Roux.

Looking ahead to this weekend's SA Rugby U20 Cup Final at Emirates Airline Park on Saturday, Selengbe describes the tournament as being a "blast" so far.

Ruan Venter has displayed sterling performances in this year’s SA Rugby u20 competition so far, with the latest of those on show against the Cell C Sharks u20 in the semi-final at Emirates Airline Park. Ruan put in a solid shift, having made 14 tackles and 12 carries.