Ruffle the Kiwis’ feathers could be secret to success

While most pundits agree that the Lions have a chance of beating the Crusaders in the Super Rugby final in Christchurch tomorrow, the general consensus is that it is a slim one. According to our experts, the Lions have to come up with a game plan that rattles the defending champions sufficiently to knock them off the well-worn path to success they enjoy at home in Christchurch. Apart from heroic defence and physicality, that also includes being ruthless and bringing something different to the party, our panel told Ken Borland. Mark Andrews (former Springbok lock & 1995 World Cup winner)

The Lions can absolutely win, even if no side has worked out yet how to beat the Crusaders in a play-off game in Christchurch.

The only way the Lions can win is by scoring points quickly and then staying in the Crusaders’ faces the whole time. As soon as you give the Crusaders space and take the pressure off them, then they are able to create because of the time and space they have.

The Crusaders will obviously have great belief, but that means they are not used to losing and if the Lions can rattle them, score some points, it might put the Crusaders in a situation they are not used to.

Gary Gold (former Sharks coach and Springbok assistant coach)

The Lions can definitely win, there’s no question of a doubt about it. In the last two years they’ve been in finals, so they would have learnt lessons from that and as a team enjoy lots of continuity.

The Lions will need to make a slight adjustment to the way they play, to their mentality around their style of play. It’s not so much changing the way they play but where they play from. It is a final, it’s not impossible, but all that matters is for them to win.

The Lions must go in believing they can win, the Crusaders, after all, came all the way to Johannesburg last year and won.

Thando Manana (former Springbok loose forward & rugby pundit)

It is possible for the Lions to win, but they lost to all four New Zealand sides they played this year, although the points margins were very close in a couple of them. I think they can take a lot from round seven, when they lost 14-8 to the Crusaders with the core of the sides predominantly there.

The Lions need to up their tempo on defence, where they’ve been poor at times, they’ve leaked so many tries. But their first phase, lineouts and scrums, are good and if they can double their physicality – and with Brink, Marx, Kwagga and Whiteley they have enough firepower – then they can trouble the Crusaders.