Lions must rethink their playing stock
THE recent calamity that has befallen the Lions regarding their on-field performances since December 2021 should not all be placed at the door of the coaching staff or the players.
It would be easy to accuse coach Ivan van Rooyen and company of failing to inspire their players; or that the players have failed in executing their plans.
A reported fracture between the coaching staff and players aside, which is believed to have flared up after the Challenge Cup clash against Stade Francais in Paris, the union’s administrators at the Lions Rugby Company must also shoulder some of the blame.
The Lions’ recruitment policy at the moment is not bearing fruit. It is an admirable set-up, to be sure, but one that has not been able to reach consistent objectives where it matters – on the field – since the heyday of three Super Rugby finals in a row in the late 2010s.
As important and encouraging as it is uplifting and developing young talent, the
Lions require a spine of world class players –
Test hardened individuals at hooker, lock, No 8, scrumhalf, flyhalf and fullback.
Looking back at Super Rugby 2018, the player in those positions for the Lions where Malcolm Marx, Franco Mostert, Warren Whiteley, Ross Cronje, Elton Jantjies and Andries Coetzee – all current Springboks then and all in their prime who could inspire the team when it needed to rally.
There is no doubt that the current Lions team is packed full of some brilliant players, young men that will one day shine brightly for SA Rugby on the world stage. But unfortunately, they do not have the big-match temperament currently to push the Joburgers over the line.
The Lions completely fell apart in the second half against the Sharks in a 29-7 loss this past weekend. When the Durbanites ratcheted up the pressure, it was notable that their hosts crumbled.
It is a narrative that has repeated itself without fail in recent matches – the Lions start well, but end terribly, their young squad unable to maintain their intensity throughout. The elder statesmen that form the core of the senior leadership group, are also not long in their rugby playing days. They cannot be relied upon to take up arms and lead from the front much longer.
New blood, tested by the fire of international rugby, is required.
When asked if such a recruitment policy was sustainable, Van Rooyen tried his best to stay as diplomatic as possible after the match on Saturday.
“We honestly feel that if we can stick to what we want to do and how we want to do it, we can execute that,” Van Rooyen said.
“We are not 20 point worse than the Sharks. The trick for us is to (execute) consistently …
“The margins at this level are small, and currently because of the pressure, we are forcing it too much. Then our consistency isn’t good enough.
“If I am just blunt at this stage they (the Sharks) had international guys on the bench. We still played against eight international guys while they were resting about eight Springboks.
“Our system, currently, is a little bit different. We back the youngsters. They really have to come out swinging quickly and they have to work hard.
“We probably need a little bit of depth in the squad and I think that is a short-term need (recruiting more senior players) for us definitely.”
The Lions, of course, are constrained by a R62million salary cap, as set out by SA Rugby. It has had a huge impact on their recruitment, if not a similar influence seemingly on their SA rivals.
The Lions have done a fantastic job in its youth development and funnelling those players into professional rugby. That will remain and will only strengthen their playing stock but it is perhaps time the Lions chief executive Rudolf Straeuli relook and rework their contracting strategy.
He has an opportunity to do so in the coming months. The need is pressing if the Lions are to return as the vanguard of the country’s rugby across all its tournaments.