Last hurrah for Van Rensburg

Johannesburg - Lions' captain JC Janse van Rensburg will be hoping to leave the Johannesburg-based side knowing they earned their place in Super Rugby next year.

Janse van Rensburg will play his last game for the team in their second-leg promotion/relegation match against the Southern Kings at Ellis Park on Saturday.

"I will be very angry and disappointed that I am leaving if we are not in Super Rugby next year, because I am a guy who believes that I have to do the job before I leave," Janse van Rensburg said on Thursday.

"If we win on Saturday, I’m also going to be sad. I’m already emotional, but then I can go with a clear heart. This is where my heart is and where I really enjoy playing. I’ve been playing here for eight years."

The Lions beat the Kings 26-19 in Port Elizabeth last weekend and hold the advantage heading into Saturday's fixture.

After a year in the Super Rugby wilderness, the Lions have a foot in the door and will be buoyed by the fact that Ellis Park has been sold out for the first time since the 2011 Currie Cup final.

However, Lions' coach Johan Ackermann stressed the pressure was still squarely on his charges.

"The pressure stays the same, and in rugby seven points is not something to rest on and we have to start all over again and be accurate in what we do," Ackermann said.

"The advantages that we’ve got, like the altitude and the home crowd, we have to use, but we still have to go out and do it."

Ackermann has made two changes to the side for Saturday’s crucial encounter. In the backline, Deon Helberg replaces the injured Deon van Rensburg on the wing, while Ross Cronje will start at scrumhalf in place of the injured Viaan van der Watt.

The Lions' mentor said he hoped the weather conditions would be the same as during this week, which would aid them in playing with more fluency compared to last weekend.

"The field was really tough last week. It was wet, and the fluency of the game was quite hampered by that as it made the handling quite tough," he said.

"Everybody has settled in. Elton Jantjies and Franco van der Merwe had a game back, so I think we will be much better."

Teams:

Lions:

15. Ruan Combrinck, 14. Deon Helberg, 13. Stokkies Hanekom, 12. Dylan Des Fountain, 11. Anthony Volmink, 10. Elton Jantjies, 9. Ross Cronje, 8. Warren Whiteley, 7. Derick Minnie, 6. Jaco Kriel, 5. Franco van der Merwe, 4. Hendrik Roodt, 3. Julian Redelinghuys, 2. Martin Bezuidenhout, 1. JC Janse van Rensburg

Substitutes: 16. Robbie Coetzee, 17. Ruan Dreyer, 18. Willie Britz, 19. Warwick Tecklenburg, 20. Guy Cronje, 21. Marnitz Boshoff, 22. Chrysander Botha

Kings:

15. SP Marais, 14. Hadleigh Parkes, 13. Ronnie Cooke, 12. Waylon Murray, 11. Scott van Breda, 10. George Whitehead, 9. Shaun Venter, 8. Jacques Engelbrecht, 7. Wimpie van der Walt, 6. David Bulbring, 5. Darron Nell (captain), 4. Cornell du Preez, 3. Kevin Buys, 2. Bandise Maku, 1. Schalk Ferreira

Substitutes: 16. Charl du Plessis, 17. Hannes Franklin, 18. Steven Sykes, 19. Devin Oosthuizen, 20. Nicolas Vergallo, 21. Wesley Dunlop, 22. Shane Gates