Fourie says Lions must avoid being 'bullied' again
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: Limiting Stormers’ counter-attack opportunities is one of the Lions’ main concerns.
The Lions head to Cape Town this Saturday to face the Stormers in the United Rugby Championship Round 11 match.
They will be desperate to bounce back, following their 10-37 loss to the Sharks last weekend.
The Gauteng team struggled in defence.
They conceded five tries, with a tackle success rate of just above 80 percent and Lions assistant coach Jaque Fourie admitted the defence was below their standards.
“We got bullied defensively,” Fourie told a virtual media briefing, as the Ellis Park-paced team started preparations for the trip to Cape Town.
“The Sharks were physically better than us,” he added.
“We had to come back [on Tuesday] and look at ourselves in the mirror and see what we need to do better for the next game in order for us to get back to winning ways.
“That is not our standards and we will definitely have to pick up our defensive effort if we want to win this game.”
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The Lions will have their work cut out for them as they travel to Cape Town to face a Stormers side oozing with confidence.
The Stormers have not lost a game at the Cape Town Stadium since the shock defeat to the Lions in December 2021.
“However it is a different team,” Fourie said about last year’s road trip – also the last time the Lions beat a South African team.
“Since then they have won the URC title and this season they have picked up a lot of momentum.
“So for us, it’s about forgetting about what happened against the Sharks and just putting out positive energy.
“We know the Stormers is a quality side.
“They want to run with the ball they are good defensively and we have to be at our best if we want to beat them.”
Fourie pinpointed Stormers’ counterattack as a major threat.
“The Stormers are very dangerous with counterattack.
“Those three tries in five minutes they scored was an error from the Bulls that they pounced on, while the others were counterattacks.
“Think if you going to give the Stormers any opportunity to counter ruck or run the ball at you with space and time they are going to punish you.
“So we going to have to stay connected in our lines and close their space and time otherwise it’s going to be a long day at the office.”
In terms of injuries prop Sithembiso Sithole (knee) is set to return to action next week, while the severity of captain Reinhard Nothnagel (ankle) and hooker Pieter Botha (fractured nose) is yet to be determined.
Darrien Landsberg will miss the upcoming clash due to concussion protocols.
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