He may be injured and have his arm in a sling, but Springbok No 8 Warren Whiteley is set to play a key role for the Lions as they head towards the knockout rounds of Super Rugby in the coming weeks.
Whiteley, the regular team captain, missed Saturday’s big win against the Sharks because of a shoulder injury and he’s set to miss at least the next two matches as well, but his input in team meetings in the next few weeks could be crucial as the Lions look to go all the way in the competition.
Johan Ackermann’s men are sitting pretty with 47 log points - more than any other side in the 18-team competition - and should they pick up a further 10 points they’ll finish first overall and host a quarter-final, semi-final, and final, should they progress so far. Already they have secured a home quarter-final; and that with two games to play against the Kings (Friday) and Jaguares (next Saturday).
Whiteley, pictured, is sure to have a say in how the Lions approach the next two weeks of action as Ackermann has already stated he is considering his options regarding the final-week trip to South America for the Jaguares match.
He said last week he wanted his team to win every game as well as they could ‘to give themselves home matches and the best chance to win the competition’, but Ackermann is considering whether it is worthwhile going to Beunos Aires with a full-strength team.
“We’ve got some tough decisions to make,” he said after the Sharks win on Saturday. “We’re going to go full out this week (for the Kings game) ... there’s no reason not to, we’re at home and the more the guys play after the June break, the better. We need to up the match fitness before the play-offs.
“But that Argentina week has now become a tough one. I haven’t heard good things about travelling to Beunos Aires. I’ve spoken to the Sharks and Stormers guys and they tell me their players got sick on the way back and they all battled with flights.
“We’re going to have a quarter-final the next week, so we have to ask ourselves whether it’s worth it. We’ll do our homework and then decide.”
Whiteley could have a say in who goes to Argentina and who doesn’t. “Warren is an inspiration to all of us and he’s involved in all the team meetings. All the injured players are involved,” said Ackermann about his injured skipper.
“Warren is one of those guys who will give his opinion on things ... he’s involved with the team even though he’s not playing. The players, though, will follow Jaco (Kriel), on and off the field, until Warren comes back, but we mustn’t underestimate Warren’s influence on the team. We’ll always tap into him,” said Ackermann about the Springbok No 8.
There are, indeed, some big decisions for Ackermann and Co to make in the coming days, but first up, the Lions will have to beat the Kings this weekend if they’re to keep alive those chances of finishing with the most log points at the end of the regular season. The coach will name his line-up for Friday’s match on Tuesday. There are not likely to be too many changes from the side that beat the Sharks. - The Star