The Royal XV coach, Chaka Willemse, has warned the Lions that if they expected the softest ride of their 10-match tour against his side in Rustenburg tomorrow, they will be in for a shock.
The Royal team is made up of players from the Griquas and the Leopards, who finished sixth and eighth in last season's Currie Cup. Most of the opposition in subsequent matches outside the Tests will be Super 14 sides, with the exception of Western Province, who finished fifth in the Currie Cup, and the Emerging Springboks.
"All my players are full-time professionals who are honoured at having first crack at the Lions," said Willemse, who was captain of the Mpumalanga Pumas in 1997, though he missed their game against the Lions through injury. "The Lions cannot afford to think that they will have an easy game and I predict it will not be their least tough match of the tour.
"We have a lot of experience up front and backs who like to move the ball. The temperature in Rustenburg has been 26 degrees all week and I will not be surprised if the heat gets to the Lions. We are hoping for a sell-out crowd of 42,000, something we would have achieved easily had not the Super 14 final between the Bulls and the Chiefs been scheduled for the evening, and the atmosphere at the ground will be electric.
"The first match will set the tone for the whole tour and our job is to make it as difficult as possible for the Lions by playing good rugby. They will be in a battle, but one which will be within the rules of rugby. My players know I will not tolerate any gratuitous violence."
Willemse said he was impressed both by the strength of the Lions squad and its management team.
"The Test series will be fiercely fought," he said. "The Lions coaches are largely drawn from Wales and Wasps and those sides have been very successful in recent years. We think we know how they are going to play, but I fancy the Springboks will prevail if they get their selection at outside-half right.
"It is just a wonderful feeling to have the Lions here. I was bitterly disappointed to miss out on playing against them 12 years ago and to coach the Royal XV gives me the chance to make up for that. They will receive a right royal welcome, but they will know they have been in a game.
"We will look to move the ball quickly and tire them out in the hot conditions. The Lions have some big forwards and they will not fancy running all over the pitch in a high temperature. We have not had that much time to prepare for the game, but we will be ready and there is great excitement in our camp."
