Some 284km south of Treviso, in Florence, Michelangelo’s sculpture of Lorenzo de’ Medici — Pensieroso — adorns the Duke of Urbino’s tomb within the Church of San Lorenzo in a pensive pose.
Much like the famous thinking Italian statesman from the 1400s, you’d expect that there has been a lot of thoughtful stroking and holding of the chin this week from the Lions management and players.
Notwithstanding a frustrating loss to the Ospreys last weekend, which will have given the squad much to masticate on, the Joburgers will have to carefully consider their selections for this weekend’s round-of-16 clash against Benetton in the Challenge Cup play-offs.
The conundrum is this: selecting the strongest team possible for tomorrow’s clash (6.30pm kick-off, SA time) and beating Benetton will extend the Lions’ stay in Europe by a week, in which they will have to either travel back to Connacht or to south-west France to face Top 14 side Pau in the quarter-finals a week later.
That permutation will require the first-choice players to race back to SA after that match to begin preparations for a crucial encounter against Leinster in the United Rugby Championship the following weekend.
The Lions have insisted all season that a top-eight finish in the URC is their priority.
They are currently 11th in the league on 34 points, among a cluster of teams in a similar position, and with five games remaining in the regular season – against Leinster, Munster, Cardiff, Glasgow (all at Ellis Park) and finally the Stormers in Cape Town.
Winning the Challenge Cup can also secure qualification to the lucrative Champions Cup, but that would require the Lions to beat Benetton, then the aforementioned Pau or Connacht, and any of Gloucester, Castres, the Ospreys or Sale Sharks just to get to the final, which would all be away fixtures.
Coach Ivan van Rooyen and his management team will almost surely rotate their squad when they announce their match 23 today.
Assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys alluded to as much earlier this week, with Willem Alberts – who hasn’t played since December 16 – sitting next to him.
Said Redelinghuys: “The fortunate position that we do find ourselves in this year is that we have quite good squad depth.
“Even if we do rotate a little bit, we feel it will be with a guy that has been knocking on the door for a long time who will be getting the opportunity.
“Every time we have done that, there have been individuals who have put up their hands, which is great to see.
“That is how much the squad has developed … we will end up with guys who have earned a shot.
“We will rotate a little bit,” he reiterated.
“After the (Ospreys) loss, we will look towards some guys that did well when they came off the bench. There are a lot of things to consider.”
It is plausible that Van Rooyen will include Alberts at lock, a new halfback pairing with Nico Steyn, with Zander du Plessis and Stean Pienaar involved in some capacity, and Springbok Andries Coetzee at fullback.
There could also be expanded roles for Jaco Visagie, Morgan Naudé, Ruan Dreyer, with Darrien Landsberg pairing up with the ‘Bone Collector’ in the second row.
The ever-developing Izan Esterhuizen could be the meat in a loose trio that also includes Hanru Sirgel in the starting XV.
The Lions have kept it steady with their halfback selections recently. Sanele Nohamba and Jordan Hendrikse have been preferred, but Morné van den Berg is a good bet to start the clash at scrumhalf. It is not impossible that Nohamba might even shift back to No 10.
Du Plessis, meanwhile, can play at pivot and centre, although in his only appearance this season – against Perpignan – he started in the No 11 jumper.
Steyn is an exciting prospect, and the 21-year-old scrummie could find himself on the bench, or starting alongside Hendrikse or Nohamba.
These are not pie-in-the-sky notions, as the Lions opted to select vastly altered line-ups previously against Perpignan and Montpellier.
Regardless of the intricacies of the selections, it will be the clearest indication yet where the Lions’ loyalties lie for the rest of the season, and which basket – URC or Challenge Cup – they will be putting all their eggs in.
Perhaps more importantly, and as decreed by Redelinghuys, they have options and depth, which will happily result in more thoughtful poses going forward.