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IOL News
23-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Bok legend Jaque Fourie wants Lions to keep their players as URC ambitions flounder
Renzo du Plessis Renzo du Plessis (left) is one of the youngsters who has caught the eye at the Lions this season. Photo: BackpagePix Image: BackpagePix The sands of time have just about run out for the Lions in the United Rugby Championship's 'Race to Eight', and defence coach Jaque Fourie is concerned that the team are leaking star players such as Edwill van der Merwe, who will join the Sharks next season. The Johannesburg side host the Scarlets at Ellis Park on Sunday (3pm kick-off), and finish their URC league campaign the following week with a home fixture against the Ospreys. The Lions need the maximum 10 points from these last two games to have a mathematical chance of making the playoffs, but they are hanging on to a slender straw. The highest points tally the Lions can hope for on the final log is 45, and no side has ever qualified for the URC playoffs with that tally. Fourie, a Springbok legend as a feisty outside centre, is worried about his team going forward. The latest Lions export to the Sharks is flying winger Van der Merwe, and Fourie is not happy that the talented back has chosen not to stay in Johannesburg. This has also been the case with other Durban-bound Lions stars in brothers Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka, flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse and prop Ruan Dreyer. 'We have to try to keep our talent here and ensure that all the players in the group improve,' Fourie said ahead of Sunday's match. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'It was difficult to lose experienced senior men such as Willem Alberts and Jaco Kriel in the past few seasons, and now Edwill. 'The Lions must retain the right group of players for the next few seasons, to some extent, as happened in 2013,' said Fourie. The Bok great is referring to the era when the Lions built a brilliant team under coaches Johan Ackerman and Swys de Bruin and won their way to three Super Rugby finals. This was between 2016 and 2018. 'There are a few young players like flank Renzo du Plessis, who have come to the fore this season. Hopefully we can produce a few more Springboks in the next two, three seasons, but we must keep them,' Fourie told Netwerk24. The Lions are struggling in 13th position on the log, and while the game is surely up in terms of the playoffs, Fourie says the team must soldier on. 'There were some really good performances, and then games that we didn't expect to lose,' he said. 'There were three or four games that we should have won. Then our position on the points table would have looked much better. 'We would love to have been in a position at this stage of the season where we have a good chance of qualifying. Instead, we just have to win and hope.'
The South African
19-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
URC: Quarter-final kick-off times for three SA sides
Following an exciting final pool round this past weekend, the top eight teams in the URC for this season were confirmed, as well as the venues for the four quarter-finals. The Bulls – who were assured of the second spot on the standings going into the final pool round – will host Edinburgh in their quarter-final on Saturday, 31 May (13:30 kick off, SA time). Meanwhile the South African shield winners, the Sharks, ensured that they finished in third place by defeating the Scarlets 12-3 in a close contest in Durban. The Durban-based side will take on Munster at Kings Park on 31 May (18:30 kick off, SA time). The Stormers, meanwhile, remained in fifth position on the table as they beat Cardiff 34-24 in Cape Town on Friday, which earned them a playoff spot against the Glasgow Warriors in Scotland on Friday 30 May (20:35 kick-off, SA time). The other quarter-final will see log-leaders, Leinster, take on the Scarlets in Dublin on Saturday 31 May. The Lions, meanwhile, fought until the bitter end against the Ospreys in Johannesburg, scoring a last-minute try to finish their campaign on a positive note with a 29-28 win after being knocked out of the Race to Eight in the last few weeks, finishing the pool stages in 11th position. The teams will have next week off as the Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup finals play out before returning to the field for these vital encounters in the URC. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The South African
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
Live scoring: Sharks v Ospreys
Jordan Hendrikse in action for the Sharks. Image: SA Rugby website Home » URC | Live scoring: Sharks v Ospreys Jordan Hendrikse in action for the Sharks. Image: SA Rugby website The Sharks will meet the 11th-placed Ospreys in Durban on Friday night, looking to maintain winning momentum as they head ever closer to the URC knockout stage. John Plumtree's team will be hunting their third victory in a row after defeating Edinburgh and Ulster on the road in their last two outings, and the Sharks will have all the motivation they need to register a victory against the Ospreys. A victory for the Sharks (in fourth place with 53 points) will see them cement an invaluable home quarter-final as they lead fifth-placed Cardiff by seven log points. They will also be mindful of the fact that the visitors are also still in the Race to Eight if they deliver two good performances in the next two weeks, which will add to their desperation to create an upset. Sharks v Ospreys Date: Friday, 9 MayVenue: Kings Park, DurbanSA Time: 19:00Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi TV: SuperSport Teams Sharks: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Siya Masuku, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Siya Kolisi, 7 Vincent Tshituka, 6 James Venter, 5 Jason Jenkins, 4 Eben Etzebeth (captain), 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Bongi Mbonambi, 1 Dian Bleuler. Replacements: 16 Fez Mbatha, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Hanro Jacobs, 19 Emmanuel Tshituka, 20 Phepsi Buthelezi, 21 Bradley Davids, 22 Francois Venter, 23 .Yaw Penxe Ospreys: 15 Jack Walsh, 14 Daniel Kasende, 13 Evardi Boshoff, 12 Keiran Williams, 11 Keelan Giles, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Jac Morgan (captain), 6 James Ratti, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Will Spencer, 3 Tom Botha, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas. Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Steffan Thomas, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Will Griffiths, 20 Harri Deaves, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Owen Williams, 23 Iestyn Hopkins. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 0211. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news. Follow us on Facebook for the latest breaking news, polls - and more!
The Star
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Bok legend Jaque Fourie wants Lions to keep their players as URC ambitions flounder
Mike Greenaway | Published 3 hours ago The sands of time have just about run out for the Lions in the United Rugby Championship's 'Race to Eight', and defence coach Jaque Fourie is concerned that the team are leaking star players such as Edwill van der Merwe, who will join the Sharks next season. The Johannesburg side host the Scarlets at Ellis Park on Sunday (3pm kick-off), and finish their URC league campaign the following week with a home fixture against the Ospreys. The Lions need the maximum 10 points from these last two games to have a mathematical chance of making the playoffs, but they are hanging on to a slender straw. The highest points tally the Lions can hope for on the final log is 45, and no side has ever qualified for the URC playoffs with that tally. Fourie, a Springbok legend as a feisty outside centre, is worried about his team going forward. The latest Lions export to the Sharks is flying winger Van der Merwe, and Fourie is not happy that the talented back has chosen not to stay in Johannesburg. This has also been the case with other Durban-bound Lions stars in brothers Vincent and Emmanuel Tshituka, flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse and prop Ruan Dreyer. 'We have to try to keep our talent here and ensure that all the players in the group improve,' Fourie said ahead of Sunday's match. 'It was difficult to lose experienced senior men such as Willem Alberts and Jaco Kriel in the past few seasons, and now Edwill. 'The Lions must retain the right group of players for the next few seasons, to some extent, as happened in 2013,' said Fourie. The Bok great is referring to the era when the Lions built a brilliant team under coaches Johan Ackerman and Swys de Bruin and won their way to three Super Rugby finals. This was between 2016 and 2018. 'There are a few young players like flank Renzo du Plessis, who have come to the fore this season. Hopefully we can produce a few more Springboks in the next two, three seasons, but we must keep them,' Fourie told Netwerk24 . The Lions are struggling in 13th position on the log, and while the game is surely up in terms of the playoffs, Fourie says the team must soldier on. 'There were some really good performances, and then games that we didn't expect to lose,' he said. 'There were three or four games that we should have won. Then our position on the points table would have looked much better. 'We would love to have been in a position at this stage of the season where we have a good chance of qualifying. Instead, we just have to win and hope.'
The South African
09-05-2025
- Sport
- The South African
URC: All the permutations for SA teams
Three of the SA teams, the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks, remain well on track to secure strong positions in the URC knockout stage, but there is still everything to play for in the penultimate pool round. While the Bulls have secured their spot in the top four already, all eyes will be on the Sharks, who are looking to seal a home quarter-final, as well as the Stormers and Lions, who have to win their matches with the Race to Eight in full force. Log-leaders Leinster (67 points), the second-placed defending champions, the Glasgow Warriors (59), and the Bulls (58) are already guaranteed of home quarter-finals, but the men from Pretoria will do everything in their power in the last two rounds to sneak into second place. A victory for the Sharks (in fourth place with 53 points), in turn, will see them cement an invaluable home quarter-final as they lead fifth-placed Cardiff by seven log points. The Stormers (in sixth place with 45 points), in turn, could hop into fifth position if they win their match and the Bulls defeat Cardiff, while the Lions must win both their remaining matches with bonus points to keep their hazy hopes of a playoff spot alive. Adding to the pressure on the Johannesburg-based team, defeat this weekend will shatter their chances of making the playoffs. The Sharks will meet the 11th-placed Ospreys in Durban on Friday, while two matches will play out on Saturday – between the Bulls and Cardiff in Pretoria, and the Stormers and last-placed Dragons in Cape Town. The Lions, meanwhile, will wrap up the action on Sunday afternoon when they host the seventh-placed Scarlets in Johannesburg. Sharks v Ospreys Date: Friday, 9 MayVenue: Hollywoodbets Kings Park, DurbanSA Time: 19h00Referee: Gianluca Gnecchi TV: SuperSport
