Lions value impact of the 'boot and bench'
REACTION: The Springboks had their ‘bomb squad’. The Lions have a booming boot to go with their bench.
The six-two split on the replacement bench was not invented by South Africa’s Director of Rugby and then Bok coach Rassie Erasmus. However, he refined the use of a near full pack of forwards.
It was the same recipe that allowed the Lions to come from behind (6-19 down) to record a 22-19 win over the Springbok-laden Western Province team this past weekend.
The likes of Jan-Henning Campher, Dylan Smith, Wiehahn Herbst, Reinhard Nothnagel, Wilhelm van der Sluys and Roelof Smit had a far bigger impact than Siyabonga Ntubeni, Alistair Vermaak, Neethling Fouche, David Meihuizen, Marcel Theunissen and Johan du Toit.
Injuries impacted WP’s replacements, with Fouche ending up in hospital with a serious concussion.
However, the Lions’ use of the bench was a pre-planned strategy that worked a trick.
“We really put a lot of emphasis on them [the replacements] to come and finish the job for us,” Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said after the win at Ellis Park.
“We felt strongly – with the pitch quite wet – that the six-forward]-two-[backs] split was justified against a very good Western Province forward pack.
“Seeing the difference that they made and seeing the energy that they brought and the eagerness they had to come finish the game for us was really pleasing.”
However, the real impact came in the form of rookie fullback Tiaan Henk Swanepoel – a man who was born in Namibia and stopped off in Cape Town (where he played once for WP), before heading off to Australia, where he played 16 times for West Harbour in the New South Wales Shute Shield.
It was there, in Sydney, where the 24-year-old flyhalf first made people sit up and take note – landing a 60-metre penalty for his club.
He was signed by the Lions and made his Super Rugby debut, at fullback, against the Jaguares in Buenos Aires on February 2.
It was an inauspicious beginning, an 8-38 loss to a team that was the beaten finalists the year before.
The COVID-19 pandemic put an end to the season before he could get another chance and played only twice, off the bench, for the Lions in the Super Rugby Unlocked half of the revamped domestic season.
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Ref blows a penalty 61 metres out.
Captain asks Tiaan Swanepoel if it’s in his range.
Tiaan says…Hold my beer.
The Pressure Player of the week!#CarlingCurrieCup #TheChampionWithin #ReachForGold pic.twitter.com/uIdCZ28PGo— Carling Currie Cup (@TheCurrieCup) December 7, 2020
This past Saturday, at Ellis Park, he started his first game for the Lions – at fullback again.
He carried the ball 11 times and kicked it out of hand five times.
However, it was off the kicking-T he made his biggest impact – five penalties.
It included a repeat of the 60-metre effort he produced in Sydney last year.
It did not surprise his coach or his teammates.
“We know what Tian can do with his boot,” Van Rooyen said.
“He kicked a 70-metre kick in training the other day.
“We know that that was a weapon for us.
“We are really big on educating the players on what decisions to take. It was a great decision from [captain] Elton [Jantjies] to go for the penalty kick during the game.
“We knew that he had it in him.”
Van Rooyen admitted it will be another massive challenge when they head to Bloemfontein this week to tackle the Cheetahs in a crucial Round Three outing.
“We are well aware of the situation we [the Lions] and the Cheetahs find ourselves in,” the coach said of the two teams that are fourth (with 20 points) and fifth (17 points) on the standings.
“We know they will be just as desperate as we are and it should be a very entertaining game in Bloemfontein.”
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