Lions pumped to be SA’s top team again
CAPTAIN Warren Whiteley (pictured) was full of praise for his players and new-look coaching team after the Lions beat the Bulls at Ellis Park on Saturday to secure the SA Conference title and second place overall on the Super Rugby log.
The 38-12 hammering of
John Mitchell’s men gave the Lions their third straight conference title, while they will feature in the play-offs for the third year in a row, too. They will host the Jaguares at 3pm on Saturday and should they win that game will host either the Waratahs or Highlanders the following week, for a place in the final.
Whiteley, who has spent much of the 2018 season on the sidelines with a knee injury, said it was a “privilege” to again be the top-ranked SA team.
“It’s a privilege to win the conference again and is testament to what we have been able to create here at the Lions in the last few years,” he said. “We lost two of our best and most experienced coaches after last year’s competition (Johan Ackermann and JP Ferreira, who both moved abroad), and a few players as well, but we’ve again got into the quarter-finals at home.
“I’m proud of every individual who has stepped up this season. Just look at the youngsters, like Aphiwe Dyantyi, who became a Springbok after 11 games. A lot of the younger guys have stuck their hands up and we’re privileged to have them here.”
Besides losing coaches Ackermann and Ferreira, the Lions lost Faf de Klerk and Ruan Ackermann, while senior players Whiteley, Courtnall Skosan,
Ruan Combrinck, Andries Ferreira, Robbie Coetzee, Dylan Smith and Ross Cronje all spent extended periods on the sidelines with injury this season. Jaco Kriel didn’t feature at all.
Having got past the Bulls with not too much effort at the weekend – they ran in six tries to the Bulls’ two and scored 38 unanswered points – coach Swys de Bruin and his team will now turn their attention to the Jaguares, as they seek a place in the semi-finals for the third year in a row.
The men from Argentina have enjoyed a good competition and have given the Lions plenty of problems in the past, mainly in Buenos Aires, but De Bruin’s men have generally dominated them at Ellis Park.