Some Lions didn’t do their job against the Reds, says Mostert
JOHANNESBURG: As head coach of the Lions it will be up to Swys de Bruin to get the team back on track this week following their shock loss to the Reds in Brisbane at the weekend.
The highly-favoured Lions were rocked 27-22 by the 2011 champions after racing to a 27-0 lead after 48 minutes at Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium on Saturday before a gutsy fightback by the visitors saw them at least bag a bonus point after scoring four tries in the final 25 minutes.
But it was their first-half showing that will be of concern to the coaching team. The Lions also appeared to underestimate the Reds, a side that went into the game sitting outside the top 10 on the overall standings with just three wins from eight matches.
The loss has opened the door for the chasing pack, with the first-placed Crusaders, Waratahs, Highlanders and Chiefs having all played a game or two less than the Lions. But De Bruin’s men have been rocked before during this campaign and come back and they’ll hope they can get back on track in New Zealand in the next fortnight.
The Hurricanes this weekend present an opportunity for the Lions to hit back and how they’d love to do just that in Wellington – the place where they lost the 2016 final.
To get the job done De Bruin may just make a few changes to his team this week.
In the pack, there could be a change in the front row where Jacobie Adriaanse could get a start, while Franco Mostert moving back to lock could also be on the cards. That would open the way for the coach to pick a new-look loose trio, perhaps with Cyle Brink coming into the mix.
And while Dillon Smit has performed well at scrumhalf, Nic Groom may get a run there this weekend with Lionel Mapoe returning to centre if he passes a fitness test later this week.
“Some guys didn’t do their job,” said captain Mostert.
“We also have to go work on a few things and hopefully we’ll make our supporters proud next week.”
Some of those work-ons will be their lineouts, an area that was again somewhat erratic in Brisbane, and their scrums, which didn’t function as well as it usually does. De Bruin & Co have plenty to think about.