Lions must be ‘ruthless’
LIONS captain Warren Whiteley is hopeful his team will be able to add a ruthless element to their arsenal as they head into the Super Rugby playoffs for the third year in a row.
The Lions go into the quarter-finals having scored the joint most number of tries – 77, with the Crusaders – and having put six past the Bulls in their final round-robin game.
Against the Jaguares in the last eight at Ellis Park this weekend, Whiteley wants his team to step it up even more.
“I definitely think we can be more ruthless. We’ve still got an extra gear in there somewhere,” he said ahead of Saturday’s 3pm kickoff.
Despite going into their third finals series since 2016, the Lions have yet to win the competition. They lost the final game in the two previous seasons, to the Hurricanes and Crusaders respectively. Whiteley said it was important to now put the league season behind them and focus only on the next game.
“Each and every opportunity from here on is like gold. We didn’t grab a number of chances we created against the Bulls, and that’s why I say we can be more ruthless.
“We’ve got work to do this week, and hopefully in the next couple of weeks. This is the business end of the competition and we have to make it count.”
Coach Swys de Bruin also said it would be important to stay in the moment and not look too far ahead as the Lions seek a first Super Rugby title.
“There’s always going to be pressure at playoff time. Every game is going to be unique from here on, but all we can do is focus on the Jaguares this week and try and make the most of playing in front of our own fans this coming weekend.” Wynona Louw
A GOOD START at the Rugby World Cup Sevens is absolutely crucial, and Springbok Sevens skipper Philip Snyman believes they have what it takes to get “the perfect start” and go all the way in San Francisco this weekend.
Winning the World Cup would cap an almost perfect year for the Blitzboks.
They recently won their third World Sevens Series title when they lifted the cup in Paris to make it back-to-back series titles.
And after missing out on Commonwealth glory on Australia’s Gold Coast, the motivation should be high to win gold in the USA this weekend.
Earlier this season, coach Neil Powell said that they have three objectives this year - to successfully defend their World Series title as well and the gold they won at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, and also to be successful at the Sevens World Cup.
And no one will be more keen to win World Cup gold than Snyman himself.
If you look at the three-time winner of the World Series’ rugby resume, there’s probably no better person to lead Powell’s team in what will be a straight knock-out competition.
The 31-year-old Sevens man is the only Blitzbok with World Cup experience (the others who have played in the spectacle before are injured). In fact, it will be Snyman’s third World Cup event, and he will also become the first Blitzbok to play in three World Cups, so there’s no doubt that he’ll be looking to make it a case of “third time lucky”.
Snyman represented the South Africa at the 2009 World Cup in Dubai and again in 2013 in Russia, and on both occasions they were knocked out in the Cup quarter-finals.
And after spending some time in Johannesburg and Mossel Bay preparing for the event, Snyman said that they are now looking forward to putting in a final week of preparations in San Francisco after arriving in the northern-California city on Sunday afternoon.
“I think the last couple of weeks have been interesting after winning the World Series, coming back and getting all the support from the fans, friends and family back home.
“Then it was time to shift the focus to the preparation again. We trained in Joburg and Mossel Bay and now it’s time to go over and do the final prep in San Francisco,” Snyman said.
“We have high expectations, I believe we can go all the way. But we need to get our mindset right. We need to fire from the get-go and get a perfect start. It’s knock-out rounds so we need to be up for it right from the start, and that’s exactly our approach to this.”
“We can’t focus on anybody else, we just need to go out there, do what we can and enjoy ourselves on the pitch.”
The fact that the Blitzboks had a few close calls in Paris before winning the final in dramatic fashion should, in a weird way – but what is sport if not sometimes unpredictable – perhaps have equipped the Blitzboks for the high-pressure situation they will be in right from the start in San Francisco.
They will play their first match of the World Cup on Friday night (6.15 am SA time on Saturday morning) against either Ireland or Chile (who meet at 12.35 am SA time on Saturday morning), and if they lose, they are immediately out of contention.
But if there is anything the Blitzboks have sown this year, especially in the World Sevens Series, it’s that they can soak up pressure. And, as Snyman said, they will have to do it from the get-go on Saturday morning.
Imagine if the Blitzboks win the World Cup.
Not only will it be their first one ever, but it will come after winning back-to-back World Series titles. What an achievement that would be.
Given their injury situation, it could be tough. But like Snyman said, they have high expectations, and so do all their fans.
So, if the Blitzboks manage to get that perfect start, we just might see history being made. And it would surely be deserved.