Odds stacked against Lions from the start

Even before kick-off‚ the Golden Lions were up against it in the Currie Cup semifinal they lost 33-24 to the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.

Swys de Bruin‚ the Lions’ Super Rugby coach and boss of coaching affairs at the franchise‚ was keen to share the news that the Lions’ task had become even tougher after grizzled tighthead prop Jacobie Adriaanse was ruled out and that young Chergin Fillies would start the match.

De Bruin sought to lower expectations of his team against the brutish Sharks pack but, to be fair‚ the Lions were on the back foot long before.

Their leadership has been in a state of flux this season‚ which impacted even the Currie Cup captaincy‚ which changed hands from Ross Cronjé to Marvin Orie‚ back to Cronjé and then to Nic Groom.

De Bruin‚ who had accompanied the team to Durban‚ was seated in the press box while his coaching team took up their position behind glass inside the coaches’ box.

When substitutions were called‚ De Bruin would turn to them with hand gestures to encourage the next move.

The Lions have had to do things in a round-about way because of De Bruin’s involvement with the Springboks.

He could only spend limited time with the Lions and former strength and conditioning coach Ivan van Rooyen was appointed to the hot seat.

De Bruin having to pull the strings via remote control was hardly ideal.

On the field too, decisionmaking lines were slightly blurred.

Scrumhalf Groom only recently took over as captain but No 8 Warren Whiteley’s restoration to fitness meant that he was always going to play a leadership role in the heat of battle in Durban.

He was certainly the one mostly engaged in conversation with referee Marius van der Westhuizen‚ whose performance, for the record‚ perhaps explains why he has disappeared off World Rugby’s sought-after refereeing panel.

In the build-up to the match it was explained that Groom‚ for the purpose of continuity‚ would wear the armband in Durban as Whiteley’s availability for the final‚ should the Lions reach it‚ could not be guaranteed.

Whiteley spread himself around the park‚ especially in defence‚ as the Lions spent much of the match scrambling.

As predicted too‚ young Fillies buckled in the scrum‚ while the Lions were bossed in the collisions.

They did‚ however‚ stage a remarkable comeback after falling 23-3 behind after 41 minutes and got themselves to within two points before the Sharks sealed the match. –