VIDEO: Watch Pieterse talk about bonus points that's like a win
SPOTLIGHT: The Lions’ 12th position on the log, despite three out of four losses on tour in the United Rugby Championship, is due to the four bonus points they managed to get in their first three games.
The Lions lost all three their first games narrowly (33-35 v Stormers, 16-17 v Edinburgh, 10-15 v Benetton) but walked away with bonus points.
According to defence coach Barend du Plessis those bonus points have been vital in keeping them somewhere close to the middle of the log.
No other team on the log have amassed four points and only Zebre has more with their five. Log leaders the Bulls have three bonus points in the bag at the moment.
“We felt all the other games, it could’ve gone either way. But the most important thing is that we got points out of most of those games,” Pieterse told the media this week.
“If you look at the log now, those four points we got out of those first three games, that’s like an extra win for us.
“Conditions aren’t easy over here. It’s the same for both teams, we both have to train in the wet, go out early in the dark, come back in the dark. The effort and the off-field work the guys are doing every day, hopefully that will show the difference for us this weekend,” the coach said.
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This weekend they face Ulster, arguably one of the toughest in the competition, and Pieterse is very aware that it will take a massive effort. But after clocking their first win over the weekend over Scarlets, he believes the win might the catalyst the Lions have needed to elevate their performance in the URC going forward.
“The big thing we spoke about over the last three weeks is a little bit more calmness when we get into the scoring zone and then just workrate in general. It wasn’t as good as we wanted it in those few games.
“And if you look at this last game, I think the work rate, every individual worked very hard. Those were the two points we addressed in this whole competition thus far and in this last game it just came together for us.
“We need to make sure our basics are good. Most of the guys know the environment we are going into. The weather outside, it’s cold, it’s raining, the stadium will be sold out again, it’s going to be a harsh environment. So I think everyone is ready for what they can expect.
“We just have to keep it basic. It doesn’t help against a classy team like Ulster if we go and try funny things and play from our own tryline. Simplicity is key for us,” he summed it up.
Prop JP Smith, who joined Pieterse on the call from Belfast, was asked about the tricky challenges of playing on the 3G pitch at Ravenhill Stadium.
“The 3G pitch is an adjustment. Luckily we have scrummed on it a few time now. It’s very important to place your feet in the right place with the hit so it’s the balance to find that right space but we will sort it out today.
“Ulster away or at home is always a challenge. A very good forward pack, they’ve got a lot of depth in their squad, so the maul and the scrum is always a challenge. We are looking forward, we’ve got to plan ahead.
“For us is for individuals to stick to the plan and make as little mistakes as we can,” Smith said.
Looking ahead at this weekend, and with the sterling performance by flyhalf Sanele Nohamba, can Lions fans look forward to another halfback combination of Nohamba and Morne van den Berg and will Jordan Hendrikse make a return?
“Sanele has covered ten in the past, so it depends what game we want to play on the day and how coach Ivan van Rooyen sees the team on the day,” Pieterse explained.
“In both players we are lucky we get something different from everyone, but he did very well for us this weekend. He gets the ball going, so if you want to play a running game, that is obviously a guy that we will go to. But both players have their own strengths.”
