Lions not far off from being a top side

THE Lions have seldom before matched the Crusaders for style, strength and power in the punch like they did on Friday night.

But error-ridden spells, lapse of concentration and a defensive structure that fell apart at the seams cost them what would have been their third Super Rugby win over the seven-time champions.

The Lions eventually went down 43-37, throwing a flurry of blows in the closing rounds which weren’t enough to stop the New Zealanders earning their seventh straight win over them.

Despite the defeat, Lions coach Johan Ackermann said his team were a few corrections shy of being counted as equal to the traditional top Super Rugby teams.

“I’m certain that we’ve closed the gap on traditional big teams in Super Rugby, but we must now work on the small detail and individual decisionmaking,” he said.

“Last year, it was the same when we missed those small opportunities that cost us a playoff spot.

“I don’t think there is a team that is way ahead of any other team in this competition. Every team will have to fight hard for points.

“We are disappointed in the small things that let us down on Friday JOHAN ACKERMANN: The Lions coach believes his team were a few corrections shy of being counted as equal to the traditional top Super Rugby teams night. I don’t want to take anything away from the Crusaders, but I truly believe we could have won.

“If we had scored from our scrum with three minutes to go, that would have put us to within two points of their score. I believe we would have kept the ball, won a penalty and kicked it over.”

The Lions gave as good as they got, scoring four tries to six in the end, including a bullish late double by ‘The Angry Warthog’, Armand van der Merwe.

However, they were outclassed by All Black centre Ryan Crotty, who bagged a hat-trick on the night.

He scored in the opening minute of the game and for the other two he exploited what has now become a complex for the Lions: conceding points in the first 10 minutes after the restart.

Both their defeats this season, to the Highlanders and Crusaders, can be attributed to the illness that befalls them early in the second half.

Against the Highlanders, Ben Smith and Aaron Smith combined to take the game away from them, and on Friday Crotty scored twice within two minutes of each other inside the first 10 minutes of the second half.

“It is something that we have to look at,” Ackermann admitted.

“We need to discover if there’s trouble at the breakdown, lineout area or if we are victims of moments of individual brilliance like Ben Smith’s quick lineout against the Highlanders.

“It is a focal point that we have to change because New Zealand sides target the last 10 minutes of the first half and the first 10 of the second.”

Ackermann’s men visit the Sharks next weekend, who have their own blemishes to photoshop after failing to close out potential wins when they drew with the Bulls and lost to the Crusaders.

It will be a clash of styles as big as crude oil and sea water — the Sharks with their pragmatic defence meeting the Lions’ flair.

Ackermann reckons the pressure scales are tilted towards the Sharks, who are suffering the hangover of

We are disappointed in the small things that let us down on Friday night . . . I truly believe we could have won

losing their unbeaten run.

“The pressure is on the Sharks because it is their home game,” he said.

“We have to fix our mistakes and go down there with a positive mind and believe that we can compete well.

“The Sharks deserve credit for going unbeaten in their first four matches out of five.

“They are a quality side with a lot of Springboks. They are going to pose a big physical challenge for us.”