Why the Lions won't throw the 'babies' out with the bath water
The Lions are not about to ‘restock the pantry’, just to ‘buy’ a win for the under-performing Currie Cup team.
Coach Mziwakhe Nkosi said they will continue to work with the young squad to ensure they become more competitive – despite being on a seven-month, eight-match winless streak.
Fielding the bulk of last year’s Under-20 championship-winning team, the men from Ellis Park have struggled to make the step up in the country’s premier domestic competition.
Not only are they rooted at the basement of the 2022 competition table, but the Lions have conceded an average of more than 50 points and seven tries per game.
They lost 36-38 to Western Province with a credible performance in the opening round.
However, thereafter it went downhill in dramatic fashion – losing 9-50 to the Pumas, 31-45 to the Sharks and 14-66 to the Cheetahs this past weekend.
The Lions’ last win was a 45-42 squeaker against Griquas on August 6 last year.
It is not getting any easier for the Ellis Park-based outfit.
Their next outing is a tricky trip to Kimberley and a showdown with a determined Griquas team next Wednesday, March 16.
That is followed by a home game against the defending-champion Bulls (March 23) and a trip to Nelspruit to face the Pumas.
The coach admitted his young team – forward pack with an average age of 22 – was not up for the challenge laid down by the seasoned and settled Cheetahs side this past weekend.
“It is a hell of a tough lesson for these chaps,” he told @rugby365com, adding: “They have to learn quickly.
“If we are to get better we will need to show a lot more physicality and fight.”
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Nkosi admitted that while it is a case of ‘men against boys’ at present, they remain talented young players that will grow.
“You can’t throw them away,” he said, adding: “If you throw them away you have to start from scratch again.
“This is what is in the pantry [and] this is what we have to use.
“They [the players] must understand it and we as a franchise and a management must understand it.”
He said the onus is on the management and players to “learn quickly”.
“They can fold or they can stand up and fight,” he said, pointing out that Griquas went through a similar slump previously – with 13 successive defeats – and played in the Currie Cup semifinals last year.
Nkosi believes his charges will benefit more from letting them gain experience, rather than replace them.
“I know it is tough now, but they will be better for it in a year or two’s time,” he added.
Captain Asenathi Ntlabakanye admitted they have been “disappointed” with their results and said the change room is not in a good space.
“I am sure we can get the boys up in the next few weeks,” he told @rugby365com.
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