Johannesburg - Having come unstuck against the Crusaders, the Lions now have a two-week stretch where they can realistically pick up a minimum of eight points and get themselves back in the Super Rugby race.
Languishing in 13th position on the log after four defeats and the solitary win against the Blues, the Lions will feel they’ve got a great chance to pick up further victories when they come up against the Rebels this weekend and the Reds in their final tour game next week.
The Rebels are ninth after their surprising win away to the Western Force at the weekend, while the Reds are probably the weakest of all the 15 sides this year.
The former champions have also won just once, but their 29-0 loss to the in-form Brumbies at the weekend is proof of just how far they’ve fallen since capturing the title a few years ago.
Lions boss Johan Ackermann, though, will have to get his players’ minds right quickly this week following their disappointing showing against the Crusaders in Christchurch.
The visitors managed to score just two penalties over the 80 minutes, but a retreating scrum and a few soft moments allowed the Crusaders to cross the whitewash on four occasions. Otherwise, it wasn’t the worst performance by the Lions.
In fact, Ackermann’s men dominated their more illustrious opponents in a number of areas. The Lions had more ball carries (106 to 98), beat more defenders (21 to nine) and conceded just 16 turn-overs to the 20 of the Crusaders. Also, the Lions missed just nine tackles in the game; the Crusaders missed 21. The Lions though won just 44 percent of their scrums (four out of nine); the Crusaders won 90 percent (nine out of 10).
“We were out-passioned,” said Lions skipper Warren Whiteley afterwards. “The Crusaders played with great intensity and their will to win was greater than ours.”
The Crusaders went into the game on the back of a heavy defeat by the Chiefs and with several high-profile players back in the mix were simply too smart for Ackermann’s men.
“Our set-piece wasn’t good and that resulted in disciplinary issues. We were put under a lot of pressure ... they played a smart game,” said Whiteley.
But the skipper was still full of belief his team could win again on tour. “We’ve got two games to go and looking to get another win. I’m confident we can do that.”
The Lions have a short week, with their match in Melbourne scheduled for Friday.
Besides the Sharks, who moved up to sixth with their win over the Cheetahs, the other big movers at the weekend were the Highlanders, following their impressive showing against last year’s champions, the Waratahs.
The Chiefs also look to be in ominous form after ending the unbeaten run of the Stormers, while the Brumbies appear to be the best of the Australian sides by some margin.
The Hurricanes, after winning against the Blues, remain the only unbeaten side in the competition.
The Cheetahs, now 11th in the standings after suffering a second defeat, join the Lions in Australasia and face the Crusaders first-up this weekend.
The Star