Lions’ third bite at glory
DAUNTING: ODDS STACKED AGAINST JOBURG’S PRIDE IN CHRISTCHURCH
The team face a daunting task tomorrow morning in Christchurch when they face the Crusaders in their third consecutive Super Rugby final.
It doesn’t matter how you look at it, the Lions face an unenviable task in the Super Rugby final against the mighty Crusaders in Christchurch tomorrow. Whether you take current form, playing conditions, personnel, history or championship credentials into account, the odds are heavily stacked against Joburg’s Pride as yesterday’s price of 1/20 on a win for the Kiwi team would suggest.
While the Lions have been lauded for reaching their third consecutive final, the general feeling among fans this week has been that dethroning the eighttime champions in their backyard to win their maiden title would be a bridge too far for Swys de Bruin’s troops. This has been echoed by Hurricanes coach Chris Boyd who said “the Crusaders are probably 20 points better than any other side” after their 30-12 loss to them in the semifinals and Sharks coach Robert du Preez, who proclaimed the Canterbury outfit has no equal after going down 40-10 in their quarterfinal meeting in Christchurch.
But it’s not entirely all doom and gloom for the Lions, with many backing their strong pack of forwards led by man-mountain Malcolm Marx to at least give them a fighting chance and they even received a vote of confidence from an unexpected quarter in the form of All Black coach Steve Hansen.
“I think the Lions forward pack is very good and they have some exciting backs. It’s not a given [the Crusaders will win],” the 2015 World Cup winning-coach said.
Pundits say self-belief will be an essential ingredient in their quest to become the first South African team in five attempts to win a final on foreign soil and listening to the talk from the Lions camp this week, there is no shortage in that department. And even though the Crusaders have won an impressive 20 straight play-off matches at home since the start of the competition 22 years ago and have not tasted defeat since mid-March this season, De Bruin is adamant the All Black-laden Crusaders are not unbeatable.
“We had 21 wins in a row against South African teams and we lost against the Sharks [in July]. It changes, you never know when, so hopefully it changes when we want it.”
De Bruin’s predecessor, Johan Ackermann, also believes a win is not out of reach for his former troops. He says returning the favour after the Crusaders beat the Lions 25-17 in last year’s showpiece will be a major motivating factor.
“What a wonderful tale it would be if the Lions could go on and beat the Crusaders on their own turf after they did it last year to us,” Ackermann told The Citizen this week.
Lions captain Warren Whiteley concurred yesterday, saying: “They’re a team everyone has learned from. [We’re] playing against the side that’s the best in the world.
“If you look at their results over the last couple of weeks and how they’ve constantly improved, this is why you play the game, for opportunities like this,” added Whiteley, who missed last year’s final due to injury but led the Lions out in 2016 when they suffered a 20-3 loss to the Hurricanes on a typically miserable New Zealand-style evening in Wellington.
Similar conditions are expected in Christchurch tomorrow. The temperature is forecast to drop from a midday high of 110C to 80C at kick-off. There is a 40% chance of showers.
This is why you play the game for, opportunities like this. Warren Whiteley