AUDIO: Lions looking for cracks in Crusaders' armour
SUPER RUGBY REACTION: Lions coach Swys de Bruin labelled the Crusaders the best team in the world, but felt that his team must have a chance during “the 80 minutes between four white lines”.
The Lions travel to Christchurch to face the high-flying Crusaders in the Super Rugby Final on Saturday.
Both sides produced impressive victories in this past weekend’s semifinals – the Crusaders beating the Hurricanes 30-12 in a near flawless showing in Christchurch, while the Lions had to come from behind to beat the Waratahs 44-26 in Johannesburg.
De Bruin said he was “very, very pleased” that his team “has a chance to go to the best team in the world”.
Having watched the Crusaders dismantle the Hurricanes, the Lions coach described the host as “unreal”.
“We’ll have to go and find a crack in that armour,” De Bruin said.
History and current form certainly count against the Lions.
They have never won in Christchurch – their only victory over the Crusaders on New Zealand soil a 32-31 squeaker in Nelson in 2001.
The Crusaders have never lost a play-off match in Christchurch – the Sharks coming closest to an upset when they lost by just four points (32-36) in 1998.
“I believe in miracles,” De Bruin said, adding that he believes the Lions are capable of anything.
“The fact is they’re the favourites. They’re a very good team.
“But it’s still 80 minutes between four white lines.”
The Lions’ biggest concern, at the start of the week-long build-up to the big game, is the trend of slow starts.
This past weekend they were down 0-14, before starting to get into their stride – as they did a number of matches in recent weeks.
“It seems like we gotta let them [the opposition] go first and then we have to [play] catch-up,” De Bruin said, adding: “It builds character in a way.”
The coach said that they have learnt some valuable lessons from their failures in the 2016 and 2017 finals.
“I think it’s vital to not make the occasion too big this time around. [There should not be] too many emotions and [issues] about individuals.
“It’s got to be about the team and just the team. We must stick to what works for us. Just find a solution to start better.”
He said he will speak to the team’s psychiatrist, Jannie Pitter, about getting the team in the right headspace.
“He’s a fundi in that department, so we’ll sit with the leadership and talk about that and see what’s the solution.”
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