Kriel calls out Lions teammates
REACTION: Lions flank Jaco Kriel was far from happy with his team’s lacklustre attitude following their latest United Rugby Championship defeat on Saturday.
The Lions suffered a 10-34 loss to the Bulls at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The result is their second consecutive home defeat in URC.
The positive for the Lions was their powerful scrums and the occasional maul.
However, it was their lacklustre defensive display that conceded four tries which left the Lions flank, Jaco Kriel, clearly frustrated.
The Lions have conceded 10 tries in the last two games, leaving Springbok to question the players’ commitment to the Gauteng franchise.
“Defence was something we addressed this week, especially after the [defeat to] Sharks,” Kriel said, adding: “We felt our transition from attack to defence was not good enough.
“And against the Bulls, I believed we had a lack of intent.
“You must be grateful to be here and it seemed the guys took it for granted. We really have to look at ourselves.
“We must realize it is a huge privilege to play here.”
He added: “It was not ideal. The positive is it is fixable.
“I told the guys we must decide to respect each other and play for each other.
“I’m not saying they are not, however, we need to have to work on our never-say-die attitude, never give up no matter how tired you are.
“Defensive structures will only take you that far, it all comes down to attitude.”
#ICYMI: The @BlueBullsRugby bounced back from last week’s shocker when they demolished a very poor @LionsRugbyCo team 34-10 at #EllisPark on #Saturday #Rugby #RugbyUnion#LIOvBULhttps://t.co/cvokhUnUDC
— rugby365.com (@rugby365com) January 30, 2022
Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted the defence was a concern and has promised some drastic changes in the team set-up.
“Compared to the last seven games, this match was probably our worse,” Van Rooyen said.
“Jaco mentioned it so I can’t back into it, however saying that the players are not giving their 100 percent and they are not committed is inaccurate.
“In saying that, I do think it will be foolish to do the same thing and not make changes.”
To add more misery to the Lions state, captain Burger Odendaal and Willem Alberts are set to be out of action following Saturday’s match.
Odendaal left the field in the second half with a head knock.
While veteran utility forward Alberts injured his knee midway through the second half.
” [Odendaal] appears to be a concussion but [Alberts] is a little bit more serious.
“Unfortunately I can’t tell you any specific details at the moment.”
He added: “With Willem Alberts, all I know can say it could be a knee injury.
“Losing both of them is a big blow.
“You can’t just replace that type of leadership, it is certainly going to be an interesting training week in terms of line-outs.”
@rugby365com
