At the ripe age of 25 Vermaak is definitely a man to look out for in the near future and if his performances continue in the same manner as last season a Springbok call-up is on the horizon.
Speaking on milestones, this game has a few as ‘King’ Carlos returns for his 100th super rugby cap. If Vermaak gets a run on Friday, he will link up with Spencer in what will be a mouth watering halfback combination. The Lions ‘success’ this season – which at present is looking non-existent will rely heavily on these two and the way they feed off each other. It is an exciting prospect and one that Muir will be praying will turn his side’s season around.
Phil Waugh will become the most experienced New South Wales player when he runs onto the park for his 119th game. He will also tie Chris Whitaker’s as the most capped captain as he leads the men from Sydney for the 40th time. The Waratahs win last week was overshadowed by the abysmal officiating of Paul Marks who has subsequently been politely told and rightly so that his services will no longer be required.
The Lions will have to make history if they plan on upsetting the Waratahs in Sydney. They have lost all of their previous encounters away from home to the Waratahs. They also have the worst defensive record in the competition conceding the most tries and opposition view a game against the Lions as an easy opportunity to record the valuable bonus point. The Lions will take some strength from their defensive display against the Brumbies last week where they managed to deny them the bonus point.
HEAD TO HEAD:
Although on the bench, I can’t help but say the battle between scrumhalves Jano Vermaak and Luke Burgess will be titanic. Both have similar traits and play the game at a high tempo always looking to attack at any opportunity. It will be interesting to see after such a long time away from the game if Vermaak can reproduce his form of last season. He will need to come onto the park early enough in order for him to have an influence on the game.
PREDICTION:
Although history is that alone I can’t help but look back on it when making this prediction. The Lions are so poor away from home that predicting them to win is not an option. They are yet to register a win and even though the Waratahs are not at their best, they are an extremely difficult team to beat at home. The mental state of the Lions players will not be good and it will take a massive performance for them to cause an upset. On a positive note at least the Lions won’t have Paul Marks to contend with. Waratahs to win by 10
Teams:
Waratahs: 15 Sosene Anesi, 14 Lachie Turner, 13 Tom Carter, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Daniel Halangahu, 9 Luke Burgess, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Phil Waugh (captain), 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Kane Douglas, 4 Dean Mumm, 3 Al Baxter, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Damien Fitzpatrick, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Will Caldwell, 19 Ben Mowen, 20 Josh Holmes, 21 Kurtley Beale, 22 Rob Horne.
Lions: 15 Earl Rose, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Walter Venter, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Wandile Mjekevu, 10 Carlos Spencer, 9 JP Joubert, 8 Todd Clever, 7 Derick Minnie, 6 Cobus Grobbelaar (captain), 5 Willem Stoltz, 4 Franco van der Merwe, 3 Kevin Buys, 2 Hannes Franklin, 1 Heinke van der Merwe.
Replacements: 16 Charles Emslie, 17 JC Janse van Rensburg, 18 Jacques Lombaard, 19 Robert Kruger, 20 Jano Vermaak, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Wigan Pekeur.
Referee: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Ian Smith (Australia), James Leckie (Australia)
TMO: George Ayoub (Australia)
