“If you’re going to try and measure yourself against the people in the opposition team, and how they play their rugby, then you’re going to be treading on dangerous ground”
Lions and Springbok lock Marvin Orie is more than a little excited about the Stormers visiting Johannesburg on Saturday.
In what should be a spicy round three Super Rugby match, the Stormers are two-from-two and yet to concede a point this season, while the Lions are one-from-two and very much a team in a rebuilding phase.
The Stormers are also a team packed with international stars, even though Bongi Mbonambi and Herschel Jantjies – two of the Boks’ World Cup stars – will miss the game through injury.
Asked what he thought of suggestions that the Stormers are literally licking their lips at the prospect of taking on a young Lions team at Ellis Park on Saturday, Orie said: “If they’re looking forward to it, then excited is an understatement for us.”
Orie though said it would be important that the Lions players didn’t get swept up in the hype of facing the likes of Pieter-Steph du Toit, Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe and other stars – who have helped get the Stormers to the top of the Super Rugby standings.
“If you’re going to try and measure yourself against the people in the opposition team, and how they play their rugby, then you’re going to be treading on dangerous ground,” said the tall lock, who has also pulled on the Bok jersey in recent times.
“You don’t want to be comparing yourself and looking at the opposition to get motivated. Last week I was up against Izack Rodda, of the Reds and Wallabies, and this week I’m up against some other internationals. My motivation doesn’t change from one week to the next; it’s always the same. And, I believe everyone in the team feels the same way, irrespective of the opposition.”
The big question though ahead of the derby is: How do the Lions plan to finally put some points past the Stormers?
“We’ve got some of the smartest attack coaching in the game here … as you’ll know our current attack coach (Neil de Bruin) is a close relative of our previous coach (Swys de Bruin) and everyone knows the Lions are well-known for their attacking rugby. But, we mustn’t forget there are other important areas of the game, too, like defence and mauling … so on Saturday it’ll be up to us, the players, to simply execute what our smart coaches have planned.”
