VIDEO: Jimmy Stonehouse still believes in 'high risk, high reward' game
The Defending Currie Cup champion Pumas will face off against the team they pipped in the Final last year, in an intriguing Round Three encounter in Nelspruit on Friday.
The Pumas maintained their dream start to the Currie Cup season with a hard-fought 34-27 win over the Lions at the Mbombela Stadium in Nelspruit this past Friday.
That came on the back of an impressive 63-15 win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Round.
They scored nine tries to two in the win over the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld in Round One and produced a less impressive five-tries-to-four win over the Lions in Nelspruit in Round Two.
Pumas coach Jimmy Stonehouse described the scrappy victory over the Lions as a timely “eye-opener” by a Lions team beset by boardroom troubles.
Stonehouse said ball control in the tackle and handling errors are among the biggest ‘work-ons’ as they build towards their Round Three home game against the men from Kimberley.
He also felt they need to improve their maul defence against a Griquas team that will no doubt have ‘retribution’ on their minds.
You can’t win games without solid set pieces,” the coach added.
Stonehouse admitted – unlike the Round One demolition job on the Bulls – his team’s passes were just ‘not sticking’ against the Lions.
However, that is not going to deter them from employing their entertaining, expansive game plan.
(Article continues below the Jimmy Stonehouse interview …)
“That is how the game goes,” said the coach of the defending champions, adding: “You have to make your own luck.”
He admitted that at times this past Friday, he was “very nervous”.
Stonehouse said the game again showed that his players simply can’t afford to allow their standards to slip from one week to the next.
“You can’t afford, at this level, to knock the ball on in the tackle and expect to win every game,” he said, adding that remaining calm under pressure is going to be vital as the tournament progresses.
He admitted that his team played a “high risk” game, but still produced some impressive moments – despite not being as clinical as they were in the opening weekend.
“That is when you require a balanced approach,” he told @rugby365com, adding: “We have to adjust to the circumstances and that was important in the win over the Lions.
“We enjoy an expansive, exciting game – there is no doubt about that.
“It is enjoyable to watch.”
Not only was his team’s handling below the expected standards, the coach felt the set pieces were also not up to par.
Stonehouse also admitted he needed to address the need for the players to ‘remain focussed’ after the big win over the Bulls.
“Some of the players are still young and when people congratulate you all the time, every ‘racehorse’ thinks he is the best.”
The coach added that the game brought back the reality of staying grounded.
He pointed to a similar situation in 2011 – when they beat a Bulls team with nine Springboks in their line-up and a week later conceded 8-0 points to the Cheetahs.
“That’s the beauty of this game, where the ball can bounce in any direction,” Stonehouse said.
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