Umdlali weLions, uElton Jantjies, ukholelwa kwelokuba iqela lakhe linabo abadlali abanamava futhi abanokulinceda liphumelele iSuper Rugby.
ILions ibethwe emdlalweni wamagqibela-kankqoyi iminyaka emithathu ilandelelana kwiSuper Rugby.
UJantjies ukuthethe oku emva kokubethwa kweqela lakhe yiBlue Bulls emdlalweni wokuzilolongela imidlalo ezayo yeSuper Rugby kwimpelaveki egqithileyo.
UJantjies uthi ukuphulukana kweqela nabadlali abasezingeni eliphezulu abafana noFranco Mostert, uJaco Kriel, uRohan Janse van Rensburg noRuan Dreyer akungeke kuziphazamise iinzame zeqela zokuphumelela indebe.
“Ewe, siphulukene nabadlali abakwizinga eliphezulu, kodwa ndiyakholelwa kwiqela esinalo. Singakwazi ukuyiphumelela ngeli sinalo iqela,” utshilo uJantjies.
Le ndedeba ithi nangona ikholelwa kwiqela elikhoyo – kodwa baza kuwakhumbula amadoda amkileyo.
“Ndiyavuma ukuba siza kuwakhumbula amadoda amkileyo. Ebenamava kakhulu kwaye ebesebenza kakhulu. Nangona kunjalo, kodwa asekhona amadoda afana noWarren Whiteley, uMalcolm Marx, uLionel Mapoe, uAndries Coetzee namanye anamava,” utshilo uJantjies ongowaseRhini ngokokuzalwa.
OkaJantjies uthi kuninzi abakufundileyo kwiminyaka edluleleyo kwiSuper Rugby:
“Kuninzi esikufundileyo kwimidlalo esabethwa kuyo kwimidlalo yamagqibela-kankqoyi apha kwiSuper Rugby. Loo mava aza kusinceda kakhulu kulo nyaka.”
ILions ibethwe yiChiefs kabini kwimidlalo yamagqibelakankqoyi ngo2017 nangonyaka olandelayo (2018), yaze yoyiswa yiHurricanes kunyaka ka2016.
Kwezinye iindaba zombhoxo, aqhube kakuhle amaqela aseMzantsi Afrika adlala kwiPro 14: iSouthern Kings neFree State Cheetahs. ICheetahs ivuthulule iZebres yaseItaly ngo’61-21, ngelixa iKings ibethe iEdinburg ngo’25-21.
La maqela aza kungquzulana eToyota Stadium ngoMgqibelo ngentsimbi yesine.
ElaseTopiya lihamba phambili ngeenkomo eAfrika