Lions' tackle stars top the table
The Lions' success on their Australasian tour has been put down to their sound defensive system.
And statistics back this up, as they have the third-best tackle success rate in Super Rugby – 88.2 percent.
This has helped them secure victories over the Blues, Rebels and Reds – as the men from Johannesburg achieved their most successful Australasian tour since that unhappy divorce from the Cheetahs 10 years ago.
At the centre of this success is two players – captain Warren Whiteley and fellow loose forward Warwick Tecklenburg.
It is not surprising to find the two sitting at the top of Super Rugby's tackle rankings.
Whiteley – who has two Springbok Test caps and a Commonwealth Gold medal with the national Sevens team – has made an amazing 108 tackles in seven matches, an average of more than 15 tackles per match.
Tecklenburg is not too far behind – 89 tackles in seven outings, for a match average of almost 13.
Last week, in the dramatic one-point (18-17) win over the Reds in Brisbane, the duo made 14 tackles each in a match that saw the Lions amass 132. Others in double figures included Franco Mostert, Harold Vorster (both 11) and Derick Minnie (10).
However, the form of his loose forwards is what was particularly pleasing to coach Johan Ackermann.
"They are exceptional players," Ackermann told rugby365 in an interview.
"We are very fortunate to have such players and they spur the rest of the team on," he said, when asked about the performances of Whiteley and Tecklenburg.
The coach hopes they will play the same influential role when the Lions host the Bulls in a trans-Jukskei derby at Ellis Park this coming weekend.
"We will need their influence, as we have a tough draw and have a couple of big weeks – when we play the Bulls and Sharks – before we get our first bye."
Ackermann explained that his key players are being "managed" in training every week, as it takes them a few days to recover if they make so many tackles.
"We usually limit their workload on a Monday and from Tuesday they start to do more and more," he said, adding: "It is not just the number of tackles they make.
"There are five players who have played every game, with a few of those – including Whiteley – who played the full 80 minutes in all seven games.
"That means their minutes on the field have added up and that is why we give them extra rest on a Monday."
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
