Lions Challenge squad and tour details

With the Lions out of the Super Rugby frame, the men from Johannesburg are not going rest on one’s laurels, but what are the 2011 Currie Cup champions getting up to?

The Lions Challenge will be on the determined side’s agenda, and will test the Johannesburg squad against some of the best domestic, club and international sides.

The Lions have already come up against the Russia, beating out the Bears 51-13 in an impressive performance at Ellis Park, while also overcoming the Cheetahs 33-17 in yet another tough local derby.

The Lions did falter against the Bulls in a 33-38 hard-fought match, but the Lions did find their redemption (and a bit of vengeance) against the Southern Kings, with a 41-31 win in Johannesburg.

Captain JC Janse van Rensburg has a lot of critics to silence.

Next on the itinerary are some international contenders for the Lions to sink their teeth into.

The Lions will take on French side Mont de Marsan on 16 March in Johannesburg, before jetting off to the United States for a tour that will see them face the US Invitation XV, the North American Barbarians, and finally the Chicago Lions before returning home.

The Lions job isn’t done just yet, as Johan Ackermann’s men will have to play French club SU Agen, Samoa, and the French Barbarians, in encounters that will undoubtedly test the Lions.

Local derbies against the Stormers and Sharks are then next on the Lions’ plate, with matches against Montpellier and FC Grenoble rounding off the Challenge series.

The Lions Challenge squad and fixture list can be found below:

Lions squad:

Gavin Annandale
Martin Bezuidenhout
Michael Bondesio
Marnitz Boshoff
JJ Breet
Willie Britz
Andries Coetzee
Robbie Coetzee
Ruan Combrinck
Guy Cronje
Lionel Cronje
Ross Cronje
Dylan des Fountain
Ruan Dreyer
Swys du Toit
Stokkies Hanekom
Deon Helberg
Alwyn Hollenbach
JC Janse van Rensburg
Hugo Kloppers
Jacques Kotze
Jaco Kriel
Derick Minnie
Franco Mostert
Jacques Nel
Ruhan Nel
Hendrik Roodt
Warwick Tecklenburg
Claude Tshibidi
CJ van der Linde
Deon van Rensburg
Jacques van Rooyen
Anthony Volmink
Harold Vorster
Warren Whiteley

Lions fixture list for 2013 (which includes Lions Challenge matches and excludes Currie Cup games):

January 19: Lions v Russia – Ellis Park
January 23: Lions v Cheetahs – Ellis Park
February 2: Lions v Bulls – Orlando Stadium, Soweto
February 9: Lions v Kings – Ellis Park
February 23: Namibia v Lions – Windhoek
March 16: Lions v Mont de Marsan – Ellis Park
April 13: US Invitational v Lions – Ervine, California
April 20: US Invitational v Lions – Vancouver, Canada
April 27: Chicago Lions v Lions – Chicago
May 11: Lions v Agen – Ellis Park
June 1: Lions v Samoa – Ellis Park
June 8: Lions v French Barbarians – Ellis Park
June 15: Lions v Stormers – Ellis Park
June 21: Lions v Sharks – Ellis Park
July 12: Lions v Montpellier – Ellis Park
July 20: Lions v Grenoble – Ellis Park
July 27: Super Rugby promotion/relegation first leg –  TBA
August 3: Super Rugby promotion/relegation – Ellis Park