Lions look to UJ's Minnie

Golden Lions flank - and former Varsity Cup star - Derick Minnie is not intimidated by the prospect of facing a Springbok-laden Sharks team in a decisive Currie Cup match in Durban on Saturday.

In fact, the 22-year-old University of Johannesburg ace is relishing the opportunity to prove his worth against some of the world's foremost internationals.

The unheralded flank, who has come through the Lions' systems from schoolboy to senior level - having also played for UJ in the 2008 Varsity Cup, believes the Lions have the necessary qualities to upstage the table-topping and defending champion Sharks.

A win on Saturday would take the fifth-placed Men from Johannesburg a huge leap closer to a play-off spot, especially with Western Province waiting for them in the final week of league action.

But, for now their focus is on the Sharks, a team that could feature as many as 12 or 13 internationals, and Minnie is "up for the challenge".

While the Lions have had some disappointing results up until now, they know that their destiny remains firmly in their own hands at this stage.

"We are still in the running and the guys are knuckling down to keep winning," Minnie told varsitycup.co.za, during a break in training for Saturday's big showdown.

"We are on the right track and we are steadily improving," he said of the Lions' season thus far, adding: "The players are all still very positive and the guys do believe they can pull off a big win on Saturday [against the Sharks]. Anything is possible!"

He said that even though the Lions won't feature a single current Test Springbok in Durban - their only internationals are American import Todd Clever and an uncapped Bok tourist in Earl Rose - they are not intimidated by big reputations.

"For me, personally, it is not intimidating to go up against those guys," he said of the star-studded Sharks team.

"It's just a great challenge to go out and prove what you have, prove yourself against those guys. At the same time it's also an opportunity for me to prove that I am just as good as those Boks.

"They may have Bok blazers and I don't, but we all have two legs and two arms," Minnie added.

He believes the Lions can easily overcome the threat posed by the Sharks by "performing as a team", adding: "We mustn't stand back to them.

"We must not get into the mindset where we see them as a team full of Boks and get 'stage fright'. If we produce a quality team effort we can overcome this one."

Asked about the Sharks' qualities and what the biggest threat in the game would be, Minnie pointed to the set-pieces.

"Set-pieces are always important in rugby, but we are certainly up for this game. We know that if we are on song on the day we can take on any pack of forwards."

Although the Lions are not in the best position on the Currie Cup log - they are fifth, with 32 points, behind the Sharks (45), Western Province (44), Griquas (38) and the Blue Bulls (36) - Minnie does not regard their season as a failure.

"I don't think it's been such a bad season. If we win the next two games [against the Sharks and WP] it could be a good season," he said of the prospect of sneaking into the play-offs.

By Jan de Koning