Lions hooker Malcolm Marx is expecting a tough physical battle when the Johannesburg-based side hosts the Waratahs in Saturday’s Super Rugby semi-final clash.
Marx gained 56 metres from five carries and won important turnovers for the Lions during their 40-23 win over the Jaguares in the quarter-finals, even scoring an intercept try.
He is now gearing up for the challenge of facing a side which has made more clean breaks (264) than any other in the competition.
“They will definitely be physical in their approach, but we just have to take it as it comes. We will definitely focus on our game and our approach to the game,” he said, according to Eyewitness News.
The Waratahs fought back from 23-6 down to beat the Highlanders 30-23 in their Sydney quarter-final, but facing the Lions away will be an even tougher test. According to prop Tom Robertson, they will have to be wary of Marx’s threat.
“From a forwards perspective, Malcolm is really a danger-man,” he said, according to the Citizen.
“He plays in the front-row but he gets around the park like a flanker. He’s pretty fit and quite handy with the basics too.”
Indeed, Marx played at flanker during his high school days, and it appears that he has not forgotten the skills he learned.
The Citizen quote him as saying: “You can never plan. I played No 7 in high school and even though I shifted to hooker in matric (his final year), I sort of always still wanted to fulfill that (poaching) role.”