Tahs scared of set-pieces
SUPER RUGBY SPOTLIGHT: The Waratahs will do everything in their power to avoid line-outs or scrums during the semifinal says Lions captain Warren Whiteley.
The Lions have regained their momentum at the right time.
With head coach Swys de Bruin taking over the reins at the beginning of the season, the side’s chances of making the play-offs were fairly slim. However, the Lions managed to secure the second spot on the overall standings and their quarterfinal win over the Jaguares last weekend eventually earned them the right to host a semifinal.
The Johannesburg-based side, boosted with the return of Warren Whitley, Malcolm Marx, Ruan Combrinck and Cornell Skosan, outclassed the Jaguares to record a 40-23 win over at Ellis Park last weekend.
Their performance was a true testament to how accurate the Lions are when it comes to set-pieces. The South African franchise tops the line-out charts and boasts a 91 percent scrummaging success rate, two facets of the game that they will definitely employ when they take on the Waratahs according to captain Whiteley.
“We should stick to our processes and systems,” Whiteley told reporters.
“Malcolm [Marx] and [Albertus Kwagga Smith] has been phenomenal when it comes to the breakdown and we have guys that make good decisions…and that’s what it’s all about – making key decisions at breakdown time.
“Having said that, we have to be careful not to flood the breakdown, and we really need to be more accurate.
“Defensively we need to be strong. I think the Waratahs attack is their biggest weapon and they will probably want to keep the ball inside and try to avoid the line-outs and scrums.
“It’s going to be interesting to see what they do tactically in the first 20 minutes,”
The captain also revealed that he will keep an eye on the semifinal match between Crusaders and Hurricanes, but will remain focused on their clash first.
And the captain has urged the Lions to be wary of Waratahs’ aerial dangerman Israel Folau.
“We need to switch on for 80 minutes,”
“Similar to the Jaguares in the quarterfinal, the Waratahs can punish you as soon as they get front-foot ball. If you give the Waratahs possession from kicks they are going to counterattack especially with Israel Folau in their backline.
“We will have to be good at our contestable kicks or if we are going to kick it needs to go deep because if the Waratahs have time on the ball they make a decision.”
Lions received some good news as Whiteley and fullback Andries Coetzee both signed new contracts which will see them at the franchise until the end of 2019.
There was some uncertainty around Coetzee’s future as the fullback was linked to Toulon and Gloucester. However, unlike the long list of Lions’ exits, the duo have now joined scrumhalf Ross Cronje in renewing their contracts.
By Leezil Hendricks
@Leezil07
@rugby365com
