Kings must tackle errors for Lions game
SOUTHERN Kings head coach Deon Davids will demand an “error freeze” from his players when they face the marauding Lions in a Super Rugby clash at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (kickoff 5.05pm).
Davids and his captain Steven Sykes have both been singing off the same hymn sheet this season saying soft moments have been costly during their team’s opening six matches.
So far the Kings have leaked 36 tries at an average of six a match so there are clear warning signs that this defensive record could mean further trouble against an inventive Lions side who have already crossed the line 23 times.
“The bye weekend gave us a chance to revisit the past five weeks and see what we can improve on and look at our skill level in terms of our error rate.
“We will look where we can improve. The team need to be brutally honest in terms of individual and team effort,” Davids said.
“Sometimes it is good to get out of the environment and then to come back a bit more focused and fresher.”
The Bulls outscored the Kings team by six tries to nil, which left Davids and his young team with much to ponder during their bye week. Speedster Jamba Ulengo (2), SP Marais (2), Jan Serfontein and RG Snyman all crossed for tries, while the Kings could only muster two penalties in reply from the boot of Louis Fouche.
“The biggest disappointment at this point in time is that we are conceding soft moments,” the coach said. “It is a lapse, whether it is a catch, kick or pass, when we lose concentration and the opposition get a turnover and they capitalise. This is something we continually have to work on.”
Asked if there was scope for reinforcements in key areas Davids said: “We are continually looking at possibilities. But at the end of the day it is about looking at ourselves as individuals and as a team and just continuing to work hard to improve."
Davids has a few injury issues to consider ahead of the Lions clash. Locks Sykes and JC Astle sustained light concussions in the Bulls game.
“Both are being evaluated by our medical team,” Davids said.
“Schalk Oelofse has also picked up a soft tissue injury and Edgar Marutlulle has a slight knee injury,” he said.
Davids also confirmed that Sti Sithole had sustained an elbow injury, while Jacobie Adriaanse and Shane Gates were still out with rib and foot injuries respectively.
Meanwhile, scans done on Siyanda Grey’s knee have come back and shown his injury is not as bad as first suspected, “so we are going to be working on his rehabilitation in the hopes of him being available for the latter part of the competition”, Davids said.