The Lions are the favourites to get their 2017 Super Rugby campaign started with some winning form when they take on the Cheetahs. Join The Roar for live scores from the match, starting from 12:05am AEDT.
The Lions were the better of these two sides in 2016 and in fact the runners-up overall in the competition, finishing as the most impressive team in South Africa but failing to topple the Hurricanes when push came to shove in the final.
The Cheetahs had a fairly middling season – only the four wins from fifteen fixtures, falling well short of any potential entry into finals. They were the worst-performed South African team bar the two-win Kings, a trend they won’t want to continue this season.
When these two sides met last season, the result was a 39-22 victory to the Lions, in Round 4, in Johannesburg.
This time however the match is on the Cheetahs’ turf, and that will give them at least a little hope – they’ve won three of their last four home matches, putting up an average score of 52 points across those three wins.
Also boosting their confidence will be the fact they won South Africa’s domestic competition, the Currie Cup.
“I am satisfied with where we are after the pre-season,” said coach Franco Smith.
“Everyone trained really hard and we are as well prepared as we can be. The majority of the players have played Super Rugby and know what the intensity will be like.”
That’s a feather in their cap, but, it’s worth noting that the Lions have won five in a row against them, and generally by comfortable margins.
Prediction
The Cheetahs at home should provide a real test for the Lions, and be more competitive against them than they have in the recent past – but the Lions looks likely to get the win.
Lions by 8.
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