Lions ready to roar against the Crusaders

JOHAN Ackermann’s message to his players this week has been a simple one: play the kind of rugby that has brought you to this point and the result will take care of itself.

The Lions face the biggest test of their development under Ackermann when they come up against the Crusaders in a Super Rugby quarter-final at Ellis Park this afternoon (kick-off 4.30pm).

It is new territory for the Lions, who have never found themselves in this position. The visitors have featured in 11 finals, winning seven of them.

But, although it appears to be a mountain that the Lions must climb if they are to advance to the semi-finals next weekend, it is actually they who have the edge today.

Ackermann rested his entire “A” team for last week’s final regular-season game against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires so that the Lions who run out today could be fresh, fit and injury free.

They are also playing in front of their home fans and have their inspirational captain, Warren Whiteley, back to lead them after recovering far quicker than expected from a shoulder injury.

On top of that the Crusaders have had to travel halfway around the world to be here for the match, having been involved in a huge New Zealand derby last week against the Hurricanes.

That said, the visitors beat the Lions 43-37 the last time they met during the regular season, in April at Ellis Park, and they have shown their mettle in play-off rugby many times.

But Ackermann says if his players produce the kind of rugby that saw them top the try-scoring charts, with 71, and win 11 games out of 15 during the season, they will be in with a very good chance of progressing to the next knockout round.

“All I want the players to do is live up to the standards they’ve set this season, to play the rugby we’ve played all year,” said Ackermann.

“We need to be strong in our set pieces and produce quality on attack and in defence. We need to believe in ourselves and stick to the style we’ve adopted all year.

“There’s no reason to change anything.

“We’ve prepared well and now it’s up to the players to execute the plan.”

Ackermann added that the players who would be in action later today were more mature than those in the side that lost on April 1, which should also benefit his team.

“We’ve certainly grown as a team since then.

“We learnt from that loss, as well as the one against the Hurricanes, and many of the players have also gone through a pressure-filled Springbok Test series and they would have picked up a lot there, too, and hopefully they’ll reap the rewards of going through some tough experiences in the last three years.”

Pressure

But Ackermann admitted that the pressure on him and his players had been ramped up a notch, especially after last week’s defeat to the Jaguares.

“I know people will be disappointed if the result isn’t good,” he said.

“But, if I look back to where we were at the beginning of 2014 and now… we’re in the play-offs, having produced several Bok players and with general growth of the team. There’s not that much more I can ask for.

“If I look at all those things then all I want this weekend is for the players to go out there and to enjoy the occasion. I can ask for a big effort, for a passionate performance, and then we must let the result take care of itself.

“Yes, there’s pressure, we’re all human. There are the selections. The decisions we’ve made. The supporters are hungry for success – they have expectations.

“But also, we’ve done the hard work, and now we must have trust and faith and enjoy the moment.”

They are two great sides up against each other, full of quality players, many with match-winning potential, so this promises to be a thriller.

Have the Lions really grown up?

We’ll know come 6.30pm tonight.