Plenty of time for Lions to recover and make Cup semis – Mahuza
THE Currie Cup is far from done and the Lions are still very much in the running to play in the semi-finals.
That was the emphatic response from back Sylvian Mahuza when quizzed about the situation the Lions currently find themselves in; and that is in last place on the seven-team log, having registered just one win from five outings.
And Mahuza would be right... there is still a long way to go in this year’s competition and a lot can, and will, still happen.
As things stand, the Cheetahs – the defending champions – lead the way with 21 log points after their five games, with the Lions in seventh with nine log points. The fourth-placed team is Griquas, with 14 points.
Most of the teams have only played five matches and by the time the semi-finalists are confirmed everyone would have played 12 matches.
“We’ve got seven games left, so there’s plenty to still play for... much more than just our pride,” said the ever-upbeat Mahuza this week.
“It’s a very open competition still if you look at the teams’ points. And, if we’re honest, no one is really dominating. All the teams have been good at times and poor at other times up to now... no one has basically said, ‘We’re the team to watch’. I’m positive we’ll be up there challenging at the end.”
The Lions are without several firstchoice players who’re either playing for the Springboks, or in Japan, or injured, while there’s a new coaching team in place under the guidance of Swys de Bruin, with assistants JP Ferreira (attack), Joey Mongalo (defence) and Victor Matfield (forwards). Their only win so far has been against Griquas (48-43), with the defeats coming at the hands of the Pumas (36-43), Bulls (22-54), Sharks (31-47), and Western Province (3-39).
Mahuza, who is one of the few men left in the squad who featured in the Super Rugby campaign, said it was also now up to players like himself – men with a little more experience than the bulk of the squad – to step up and lead the way.
“It’s been a difficult time... coming together straight after Super Rugby and the new coaching team having to get us to gel quickly. Obviously coach Swys’ style is a little different to coach Ackers’ (Johan Ackermann) style... so it’s taking a while, but that said, it’s not such a big deal either.
“I think we’re simply lacking a bit of maturity right now, with so many guys out and some new faces, so we have to try establish a new team and that’s going to be up to the seniors now to step up and lead the way. The guys who’ve played some Super Rugby need to drive the team forward and take the pressure off the youngsters.”
Mahuza says it is just a matter of time before the Lions roar again. “We know what we’re capable of and we know we can score tries from anywhere... I’m optimistic we’ll turn our fortunes around very soon.”
The Lions travel to Bloemfontein for a date with the Cheetahs on Saturday (kickoff 5.15pm) and they’ll fancy their chances of causing an upset, especially with the men from Bloemfontein having their eyes on their debut in the Pro14 competition next weekend.