Rampant Lions maul Highlanders
RUGBY: Jamie Joseph has experienced the sense of loss in the away team dressing room at Ellis Park as a player and a coach, and 21 years after the devastation of a World Cup final loss to the Springboks, there were no recriminations, no conspiracy theories.
Joseph just shrugged in the aftermath of the Highlanders’ comprehensive Super Rugby semifinal loss to the Lions in Johannesburg yesterday, a 42-30 defeat that wasn’t as competitive as the scoreline suggested.
‘‘You have to give credit where it’s due, we played a very good team, certainly worthy final contenders,’’ he said, after South Africa’s born-again franchise advanced to Saturday’s final against the Hurricanes.
Joseph had hoped to end his six-year reign at the scene of his greatest triumph, but 13 months after the Highlanders upset the favourites at Westpac Stadium, it will be former Springbok Johan Ackermann who has an opportunity to cap his own rebuild mission with the ultimate accolade.
‘‘There’s no fairytales in sport, you have to earn the right to be in a final and we were beaten by a better side on the day,’’ said Joseph, who gave short shrift to the impact of the squad’s never-ending travel schedule this month.
‘‘We’re certainly not going to use travel as an excuse. From the outset we planned around it.
‘‘We rested players, we rested our All Blacks from Argentina [the game against the Jaguares on July 2]. We did what we could with the circumstances and the structure of the competition.’’
Unfortunately, it was soon apparent the Highlanders players and coaching staff didn’t have a contingency plan to counter a Lions team already buoyed by a crushing quarterfinal defeat of the Crusaders and their biggest crowd of the season ... many seasons.
Although inspirational captain Warren Whiteley was sidelined with a calf injury, the Lions pack ruled the contact area and while the Highlanders enjoyed air supremacy at the lineout, that advantage was negated by handling errors and the home side’s aggressive defence.
Elton Jantjies, who was recalled to the national team for the June tests against Ireland, was also a point of difference as he primed himself for a match-up with Beauden Barrett by scoring one try and having a hand - or foot - in three others as the Lions protected, then extended an early 14-point lead.
At the time Joseph no doubt rued a missed opportunity when Elliot Dixon lost control of the ball over the line when a try beckoned in the 26th minute, though it was ultimately immaterial - the Lions were undoubtedly superior.
The Highlanders earned their latest trip to South Africa on the back of a solid scrum in the latter stages of their quarterfinal in Canberra, but although Alex Ainley returned to strengthen the tight five, the set piece struggled from the outset.
‘‘They had the wood on us there, the breakdown was another one. They turned a hell of a lot of ball over and that’s generally an areas we’re pretty good at,’’ said Joseph, who was at least proud his personnel persevered till the bitter end.