SIGNPOST
• Ruan Combrinck’s late monster penalty sinks Sharks and keeps Lions in the hunt for Super Rugby glory
He was not even supposed to take the penalty, but when Ruan Combrinck put his foot down‚ he gave flight to the Lions’s last throw of the dice in their Super Rugby quarterfinal against the Sharks on Saturday.
He was not even supposed to take the penalty but when Ruan Combrinck put his foot down‚ he gave flight to the Lions’ last throw of the dice in their Super Rugby quarterfinal against the Sharks on Saturday.
The monster penalty attempt 3m inside his own half and on the angle was not his best strike‚ but the ball was willed on by a crowd that had seen their usually marauding side reduced to a stutter by a resilient Sharks team effort.
The kick barely made it over the crossbar but it was enough to seal a hard-fought 23-21 victory and set up a meeting with the Hurricanes in the semifinal at Ellis Park this weekend.
“I thought maybe we should go for the corner and see if we could get a penalty closer‚” said Lions coach Johan Ackermann about Combrinck’s insistence on taking the kick with three minutes left on the clock.
“But Commies was in no doubt. He was so adamant he wanted to kick and credit to him he did it.”
The Lions were removed from their comfort zone by the spirited Sharks and had to resort to tactics they were less accustomed to. They were in need of divine inspiration.
“If you know Ruan’s character you will understand it better‚” said captain Jaco Kriel. “He’s always looking for opportunities for the big moments. He is always the last guy walking off the [training] field after kicking 60m‚ 65m penalties.
“I had my doubts after he missed his first kick.
“I always look to the side [of the field] for advice or a message from the coach, though our water carriers were already pointing at the line.
“Commies‚ however‚ already had the tee in his hand and I thought ‘Okay, Commies‚ this is winning or losing it’. Credit to him‚ he kept his poise and that was after cramping in his first kick. I don’t know if that was just an excuse for missing that one‚” Kriel chuckled.
Ackermann was visibly relieved. “In that last bit there were a lot of grey hairs and even the thought that this was going to be the way I end my time here at the Lions‚” said the coach‚ who heads to Gloucester at the completion of the competition.
The win means the Lions host the Hurricanes in the semifinal on Saturday. Unlike in the past when the knockout stage match-ups were determined according to ranking on the log at the end of the league stage‚ this year a predetermined draw took precedence.
Ackermann last week expressed reservations about the change, but the coach did not really complain.
After all‚ as it turned out their next opponents have to travel from Canberra for the semifinal‚ while the Chiefs‚ the lowestranked team left in the competition‚ will fly back to New Zealand to face the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Ackermann knows his team will have to be a lot better against the Hurricanes, who scored 50 against them at Ellis Park in 2016 and then beat them in a rain-soaked final in Wellington. /