One last BIG push for Lions
Having earned the right to host the Currie Cup Final – with defending champions Western Province as the opposition on Saturday – the Johannesburg-based outfit will be looking to put the cap on an amazing season.
Their dominance this season can be found in much more than just what the standings show – their 430 points for is three figures more than WP's 328; with a points differential of 213 to 80; the only team to have scored more than 50 tries (52) and Province on 38.
However, coach John Ackermann is adamant that his team has achieved nothing yet.
"We are happy how the season panned out and the fact that we are playing at Ellis Park," Ackermann told rugby365.
"However, this is a one-off game," he said, adding: "For the next 80 minutes we need to replicate what we have done for the last 11 weeks.
"You can't read anything into the results from this past season.
"Those wins, the position and points on the standings won't help you at all.
"You have to perform on the day, so hopefully there is one more big game left in this team."
The Lions mentor said although both teams have changed somewhat since last year's Final at Newlands, there are advantages to having a home Final.
The players can stay at their own homes.
"There has been no travel and the last three weeks – Western Province, Griquas and the semifinal [against the Free State Cheetahs] we played at home.
"It has been a good build-up."
He said the key for his team is to remain calm.
"Last year we were 0-13 down in no time at all," he told rugby365, adding: "We almost came back, but it proved a bridge too far.
"We have to ensure we don't fall behind, that was certainly an important lesson."
He also feels that experience will be vital.
"Although players like Akker [Armandt] van der Merwe, Warwick Tecklenburg and Lionel Mapoe are not available [this time], we have a core of experienced players – like Ross [Cronje], Bossie [Marnitz Boshoff], Warren Whiteley and Jaco Kriel.
"They will be able to share their experience with the young guys who are playing their first Final."
While every game has its own challenges, Ackermann feels they can't afford a repeat of last week's scrappy, slow start they produced against the Cheetahs in the semifinal.
"You can never say with any certainty how the team will react in the opening exchanges. We will need to be more accurate and clinical than we were this past weekend.
"However, for the better part of the season we had good starts.
"It is important to realise that everything won't always go your way. It is important to remain calm.
"That was a good lesson we have learnt this past weekend – the guys kept their composure when things did not go our way.
"That is a key aspect in the Final."
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
