The men from the North West will be looking to set the record straight following their 34-27 opening round defeat to the Griffons in Welkom last week.

The former Springbok flyhalf and new Leopards coach, André Pretorius, told OFM Sport the visitors from Johannesburg will be tough, but not impossible to beat.

“To be quite honest, the game against the Griffons was a bit of a mixed bag.

“We didn’t really know what to expect, because we went into the match with a couple of new players.

“We only had one realistic week with the team and there were a couple of other things to focus on, of which the result wasn’t one.

“Being 12-0 up and being in the lead a couple of times during the game we realised that we could win it, and we were quite disappointed when we didn’t pull it through.

“We are trying to include a lot of club players and make them a part of the group. We’ve got a big representation from Klerksdorp and Impala from Rustenburg.

“That posed another problem because at that stage they didn’t really know the structures and system by then, but I think that in the long run, these players will add a lot of value to the Leopards.

“If I had to choose between one result for the Leopards and sustainable success in the future I would always go with the latter.

“They’ve already grown it the team, and I can see the difference. They are really keen to be a part of the team and I need to thank the clubs for making these players available.

“The game against the Lions will be a tough one, it will definitely be one our harder games in the pool. Although it is a young side, the Lions have got quality players and most of them are waiting for a crack at Super Rugby.

“I have no doubt that it will be a tough one, but I believe that if we can build on what we did against the Griffons and have more consistency and make sure that the guys stick to the processes instead of watching the scoreboard, one never knows what can happen.

“We are expecting a better outing and more consistency in this game.

Saturday’s game in Wolmaransstad kicks off at 15:00.

Meanwhile, at 14:00 in Paternoster, the Boland Cavaliers will entertain the Toyota Free State XV, and at 16:00 the Griffons tackle the Griquas in Welkom.

Leopards - 15 Chuiner van Rooyen, 14 Bradley Moolman, 13 Cheswin van Wyk, 12cAK Nela, 11 Lincoln Daniels, 10 Evardi Boshoff, 9 Boela Abrahams, 8 HP Swart, 7 Reuben du Plooy, 6 Edmund Rheeder, 5 Alex van Staden, 4 Johan Retief, 3 Mstimu Magsnyi, 2 Marius Stander, 12 Botter Moloto. 

Replacements - 16 Ruan Groenewald, 17 Nelius Theron, 18 Danny du Plooy, 19 Wandi Masibuko, 20 Chriswill September, 21 Nkululeko Mcuma, 22 Keagan Tait.

@MorganPiek OFM Sport