Lions turn to cubs but it’s in their DNA
● Some may suggest it is the last convulsions of the latest arrivals on the quay. To be fair, the Lions did start the week in unfamiliar territory — the bottom of the conference.
Others though, may interpret the alacrity with which the Lions reached for the reset button this week as an act emboldened by an established business model.
It doesn’t matter which scenario you fantheir
I will stand or fall by these guys coming through
Swys de Bruin
Lions coach
cy, after three years at the top, consecutive defeats to the Stormers and the Bulls have stunned the Lions.
Coach Swys de Bruin raised eyebrows by selecting a barely recognisable match-day squad for yesterday’s clash against the vastly experienced Jaguares at Ellis Park.
By selecting such a young side it was perhaps the Lions’ tacit admission that they need to steal the march on their local rivals.
The Bulls have gone in the other direction by recruiting the grizzled Duane Vermeulen and Schalk Brits, but for the Lions, who have now involved their cubs, success may not be immediately apparent.
Their business model, which is very much rooted in the days of austerity after previous equity partner and main sponsor walked away, has stood them in good stead since.
In a climate where it is increasingly difficult to retain the country’s top talent, the Lions have long opted to advance from within. Like all the other franchises, they are fighting against the current, if not the currencies.
They benefited greatly from the Springbok exodus after the 2015 Rugby World Cup. The Lions were largely unaffected and already had an established team.
They surged to three Super Rugby finals but it was a question of time before they became victims of their own success.
In the last few years coach Johan Ackermann, as well as players Jaco Kriel, Ruan Ackermann, Franco Mostert, Faf de Klerk, Ruan Dreyer, Jacques van Rooyen, Andries Ferreira, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Jaco van der Walt and Akker van der Merwe have all moved off.
Now coach De Bruin, who, to be fair, has a gift for working with younger players, believes he has seen the future.
“Sometimes you have to have the guts to do what you do. When is ready, ready? I always believe if you’re good enough, you’re old enough,” he told reporters after including greenhorns Wandisile Simelane, Vincent Tshituka, Tyrone Green, Gianni Lombard, Ruan Vermaak, Nathan McBeth and James Venter in his 23.
“We built them over the past three years and it is now time to start testing them.”
Cubs must keep Lions relevant
There will be sceptics. In fact, the question was raised whether De Bruin’s action originated in his knee.
“There’s no panic. It’s on the white board in my office — the players we want to blood and at what stage. It is easy to say it is rotational but sometimes it is a tough job when you have 45 players and there’s just room for 15 at a time,” said the coach.
Their pragmatic business model is perhaps the closest you’ll find to the moneyball concept on the domestic rugby scene.
The coach knows however that a team with a fan base accustomed to recent success has to remain relevant.
“I believe in seasons. (It’s) time for new guys. I’m not talking about building. Building is a cliché. I think we’ve got some of the best, if not the best junior players coming up in the world.
“Our players were fantastic in the SA under-21s. They come through a brilliant recruiting system with the backing of Altmann (Allers, main equity partner), Rudolf (Straeuli, CE) right through our youth system. I would love to get the results straight away but I will stand or fall by these guys coming through.”