Lions’ third bite at glory
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
Crusaders showed there’s no room for sentiment in their drive for a ninth Super Rugby crown against the Lions as they left out retiring great Wyatt Crockett (below) for what would have been his last game.
The defending champions are overwhelming favourites to win tomorrow’s final in Christchurch after clocking up a 14-match winning streak and going unbeaten in 20 play-off matches on home soil.
But despite their impressive record, none other than All Blacks coach Steve Hansen has warned the South Africans have “every chance” of pulling off an upset.
He likened the buildup to the 2007 World Cup quarterfinals, when New Zealand were red-hot favourites to beat France “and we got smacked quite badly”.
“When you look at a contest like this one, you say to yourself who’s going to dominate the scrums and you can’t really say. Who’s going to dominate the lineouts and you can’t really say.”
The Crusaders, however, know how to win this trophy while the Lions have become perennial bridesmaids, losing the past two
finals and still seeking their first title. Crusaders coach Scott Robertson took a hard-nosed approach yesterday when naming his side to face one of the most feared forward packs in the competition.
He tested his pack without Crockett in last week’s semifinal and opted to stay with Joe Moody starting at loosehead with Tim Perry on the bench.
It brings an end to Crockett’s illustrious career with the 35-yearold prop, who played 202 games for the Crusaders and 71 Tests for the All Blacks, having announced this was his final season.
“It was the hardest decision I’ve had to make as a coach – I’ll be honest with you,” Robertson said.
“He is a great man, a great Crusader, the highest-capped player who has given more to this team than anyone else, so we really thank him.”
The only change to the side that whipped the Hurricanes last week sees Heiden Bedwell-Curtis replace injured flanker Jordan Taufua, with Wallabies back-rower Pete Samu on the bench.
Robertson also preferred the youth of David Havili at fullback to the experience of Israel Dagg.
The Crusaders have devoted plenty of time to working on how to quell their opponents’ pack, particularly when they get their rolling maul moving.
“When a team has a big strength, as they do in that area, you have to put some time into it,” said flanker Matt Todd, one of seven All Blacks in the Crusaders pack.
“It’s a real momentum-changer for them. Not just with tries but also getting them field position.” – AFP