With the announcement of the Lions squad to tour South Africa less than two weeks away there is a lot of speculation, tension and pressure in the air up North as players have their last chances of impressing selectors and coaches alike, writes iafrica.com columnist BJ Botha.

Talk about the Lions tour is on everyone’s lips over here and everybody is playing selector — picking their squad and the perfect team to face the Springboks in South Africa. Many of the likely candidates that I play alongside, or against, know how difficult it is to win against the Boks, particularly at home as a single nation, now they have the chance to take them on in their own back-yard as one team representing the whole of the British Isles.

Each player knows how rare this opportunity is and will be fighting till the very end to book his seat on that plane to South Africa. I have also been in touch with many of the Lions supporters over here that will be making the long trip down and in their hearts they are hoping for a repeat of the '97 tour — their heads, however, are telling them a totally different story.

I think as far as the coach and selectors are concerned they will be in a much happier place following the last two rounds of the Six Nations than they were at the end of last year. Even though Ian McGeechan has to pick players on form, and players that have been involved in the Six Nations, it is clear to me that he is very much aware that the most important part of the Lions is how they work as a team.

This could lead to players being selected not just on form, but with experience playing a massive part. Players that can change games on their own such as Jonny Wilkinson, who the media has been speculating as a possible candidate, may just get a surprise call as well.

On the flip side of the coin I think the media hype is just as big back in SA with all the likely candidates trying to cement their places by performing well in the S14.

The majority of the players vying for places in the Springbok team were probably still at school and watching from the stands the last time the Lions were in SA so it is a massive event for any player to be involved in. For many this will be the last chance they have to play against the Lions as they will only return in 12 years time again. I also think in every South African supporters mind it has been a long time to wait to put things right, but in the end I feel it will be worth the wait!

I am looking forward to some exciting rugby this weekend, meanwhile, as the Heineken Cup quarterfinals are played across Europe and the Super 14 enters its 9th round of games.

The big clashes this weekend in the Heineken cup being the Ospreys facing the current European champions Munster and Harlequins, the Premiership leaders, take on Leinster at the Stoop in London. I think the Champions of Europe will come from these two games, but you can never rule out the French side Toulouse who are a class outfit and know how to win big games and trophies.

The Super 14 is starting to take shape now as we head well past the half-way stage of the competition. The Chiefs have shown us how important bonus points are in this competition, losing three games, but still being able to hold onto second spot on the log. The Highlanders have also impressed and no longer seem to be the team to hold up the table at the bottom with some consistent performances.

However, the Sharks are still the team to beat and with one away game remaining this weekend and the rest taking place in the Shark Tank it is looking more and more likely that they will be finishing the competition their as well!

BJ's predictions:

Blues vs Lions: Even though the Lions have showed how they can perform abroad against the Chiefs it will take another special performance and a lot more to win against the Blues in Auckland. If the Lions are to have a chance they will have to play the same attacking rugby they played against the Chiefs and have to score tries because we know if the ball gets into the hands of any of the Blues outside backs they can score from anywhere! Unfortunately I see the Blues being to strong on the day for them and should win by 10+ points.

Brumbies vs Stormers: With the Brumbies coming home from a nightmare of a tour they will want to put it right in Canberra against the Stormers who are not having it their way at the moment. The Stormers’ last two games against last year’s finalists have really been close affairs but unfortunately have gone against them and so they will be looking to get their first win on tour. I think this is really going to be a close game but knowing how tough it is to win in Canberra I think the Brumbies will just edge it by 5+ points.

Waratahs vs Bulls: This is going to be the game to watch this weekend as the Bulls come off a narrow loss against the Crusaders and the Waratahs come off a shaky win against the Stormers. If the Bulls manage to win they will leapfrog the Waratahs and still have a game in hand leaving them in a commanding position. If the Waratahs win they will move into second spot with the Chiefs having a bye weekend. This is going to be a close affair however if the Bulls arrive on the day they could pick up a win in Sydney which is massive for any of the teams playing their. To close to call.

Cheetahs vs Sharks: This is going to be a classic South African derby and the teams will definitely have a go at each other in all departments. I just feel that the Sharks will have the upper hand in almost all of them. The Cheetahs will make it tough for the first 20min but then I think it will all be Sharks after that. The Sharks to win by 15+.

  • BJ Botha's Northern Exposure will appear weekly on iafrica.com, so log in next week for more from the Springbok powerhouse or leave a comment below!


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