One bite at a time for Lions We’ll take it week by week, says skipper
THE old question of how you eat an elephant sprung to mind when Lions captain Warren Whiteley explained yesterday how his team could go one better in Super Rugby this year. When facing a behemoth‚ Whiteley subscribes to the one bite at a time approach.
“Super Rugby is a grind and you have to stick to your processes‚” he said.
“We don’t look at it as a whole competition, but we break it up into weeks.
“As a player, you start getting into a rhythm within the competition.
“We focus on our performance and not the result.
“We see this as an entirely new challenge – and, as a group, we haven’t achieved anything yet‚” Whiteley pointed out.
The Lions seemed to master the weekly grind in reaching the last two finals only to fall against New Zealanders in the final.
It is what they do at the business end that perhaps warrants interrogation.
By way of improvement, however‚ they will seek it from the outset‚ starting with the Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Lions may have 15 straight wins over South African opposition, but in the combative Sharks they face adversaries that have run them close of late. However, Whiteley is confident. “I think some of our senior players have probably played more than guys at other provinces.
“Elton [Jantjies] has played four games‚ I have as well and Lionel [Mapoe] and Sous [Franco Mostert] – and we have other Boks who played a lot of rugby towards the end of the year.”
For new coach Swys de Bruin, the Sharks are opposition that have made improvements since the teams last met.
“They will bring a physical battle, but they’ve also trained with more flair. We are expecting anything from them,” De Bruin said.
He will give rising star Aphiwe Dyantyi a Super Rugby debut on the left wing‚ while Rohan Janse van Rensburg starts off the bench. “He’s a great team man‚” De Bruin said of Dyantyi. “I’m excited for him.
“He had a very good Currie Cup. It is well deserved.”
About the selection of Harold Vorster and Mapoe at centre, he said: “Ag‚ its just combination. It is horses for courses.
“When we train with backs we move them around a lot.”
There is no recognised scrumhalf in the team, but De Bruin was quick to point out that they had cover.
Coetzee is good, he played Craven Week. It is easy for him to move in.”
The coach commended loosehead prop Jacques van Rooyen, who will be in his 50th Super Rugby match.
The Lions team is: Andries Coetzee, Sylvian Mahuza‚ Lionel Mapoe‚ Harold Vorster‚ Aphiwe Dyantyi, Elton Jantjies‚ Ross Cronje, Warren Whiteley (captain)‚ Cyle Brink‚ Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert‚ Ruan Dreyer‚ Malcolm Marx‚ Jacques van Rooyen.
The substitutes are: Robbie Coetzee‚ Dylan Smith‚ Jacobie Adriaanse‚ Marvin Orie‚ Marnus Schoeman‚ Hacjivah Dayimani‚ Howard Mnisi‚ Rohan Janse van Rensburg. – TimesLIVE