British Lions / Geoffrey Riddle / 29 May 2009 / Leave a comment

The Cheetah's flying wing, the Golden Lions' sniping number nine and the Sharks' towering lock - Geoffrey Riddle's team by team guide tells you everything you need to know about who the British Lions will be facing in the build up to their test series against the Spring Boks.

Royal Bakofeng XV - May 30th

The Royal Bakofeng side is set to be made up of 11 of the Vodacom Cup-winning Griquas. This doesn't necessarily mean that they will be any good, but it does mean that the players will be used to the combinations that they will feature in - something the classier Lions can only dream of at this stage.

Royal's coach, Chaka Willemse, is keen to avoid a confrontational forward battle, and hopes to stretch the Lions around the park, perhaps a sign that points may flow in the tour opener.

Star man: Nass Olivier: One of just five players with Super 14 experience, the Cheetahs flyhalf has a lot of responsibility on his shoulders.

Golden Lions - June 3rd

It took tries by the gobby duo of Austin Healy and John Bentley to pin down the plucky Golden Lions on the 1997 tour, the tourists winning 20-14. The Johannesburg-based side is the primary feeder for The Lions, the Super 14 franchise which finished 12th this year. They play at Coca-Cola Park, formerly known as Ellis Park, which hosted the 1995 World Cup final.

Star man: Jano Vermaak. The brilliant scrum-half scored seven tries in the Super 14 this year. The 24-year-old is a real threat around the fringes, and the Lions back-row will need to be awake to his sniping runs.

Cheetahs - June 6th

A sorry Super 14 campaign saw the Cheetahs win just two games, but one of those was the outstanding 31-6 defeat of fellow South Africans, the Sharks. Based in Bloemfontein, their game-plan is based on a tough defensive system, which leaked fewer points than the Blues, who finished ninth. This could be a low-scoring affair.

Star man: Jongi Nokwe: The flying wing has been called into the Springboks squad once again by Peter de Villiers thanks to a stellar Super 14 season, which featured six tries. Nokwe showed he can operate at the highest level last year when scoring four tries against the Wallabies in Johannesburg. A dangerous weapon.

Sharks - June 10

The Sharks led the Super 14 table for four rounds, but fell away badly to finish sixth. Based in Durban, at the 55,000-seater Kings Park stadium, the Sharks are historically one of the better South African teams, reaching the Super final three times in 1996, 2001 and 2007. In their previous guise as Natal, they lost 42-12 to the Lions in 1997.

Star man: The Sharks are unlikely to have their Springboks for this encounter, but one who might make the run-on side is Johann Muller. The towering lock is a formidable line-out opponent, and would provide a good workout for Lions skipper Paul O'Connell ahead of greater tests against the likes of Bakkies Botha and Victor Matfield.

Western Province - June 13

The Cape Town-based province have a fearsome reputation having been at the centre of South African rugby for over 100 years. They have won the Currie Cup a record 32 times, and they can claim four wins from 16 encounters down the years against the Lions. Feeder for the Stormers in the Super 14.

Star Man: Luke Watson. The Western Province skipper is one of the best open-sides in the Rainbow Nation. He will give the tourists a thorough examination at the breakdown.

Southern Kings - June 16

The Southern Kings are the first in line to be the 15th team when the Super 14 competition expands in 2011. The franchise will be launched in Port Elizabeth at this game, so the players have everything to play for. The squad will be coached by Alan Solomons, once the Springboks assistant coach under Nick Mallett, and former head coach of the Stormers, Ulster, and Northampton.

Star man: Clinton van Rensburg, the 6ft 3inch utility back, has been playing fly-half for the Mighty Elephants, which should make up the core of the franchise. A grizzled veteran, who once played with Rob Howley at Swansea, his experience will be invaluable for a side that looks massively outclassed.

Emerging Springboks - June 23

Percy Montgomery earned his first Springbok cap in the consolation third Test against the Lions in 1997, but he had already faced the famous tourists as an outside centre in the 51-22 drubbing suffered by the Emerging Springboks several weeks earlier.

The second string national sides have proved something of a thorn to the Lions recently. Australia 'A' inflicted the first tour defeat on Graham Henry's Lions in 2001, and the proud New Zealand Maori beat Sir Clive's Lions four years ago.

Star man: Earl Rose was named in the Springbok squad to play Namibia, and the Cheetahs' full-back may well start in this fixture. Although he does not boast the class of Montgomery, he is one of the fringe players well thought of by South Africa coach Peter de Villiers. Despite the claim held by JP Pietersen, the Springbok No.15 jersey is still up for grabs, so Rose needs game time at this level in which to bloom.