Lions determined to remove 'bleak blot' from the record
INTERVIEW: The Lions may be sitting pretty in fifth place on the United Rugby Championship table, but there is one bleak blot on their record they need to remove.
Despite the amazing three-match sweep on their tour of Wales and Scotland – with wins over Ospreys (28-27), Cardiff (31-18) and Edinburgh (22-19) – the Johannesburg-based outfit has been unable to win at home this season.
That amazing run on the road was sandwiched between losses to the Bulls (15-31 in Round One) and Ulster (37-39 last week).
Hosting the dangerous Scottish outfit Glasgow Warriors at Ellis Park this week, the Lions are determined to remove the mark of ignominy from their record.
The Lions’ backline coach, Ricardo Loubscher, said he was ‘pleased’ with the team’s effort on attack, attributing the team’s try-scoring results to the ‘hard work’ put in during the pre-season.
“We are still learning as a team, so hopefully we’ll take the lessons from the loss to Ulster,” he said, adding that “starting well” is the key to getting a better result against the Warriors this week.
Loubscher said the key to getting better starts is all about “game management”.
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“If our game drivers get it right – as we did on tour – we will get the reward,” the assistant coach said.
He added that they need to “get territory first” and then build the game on the back of their “defence and kicking game”.
“Hopefully we can do the same in the next few weeks,” he said of encounters with the Warriors and Stormers – ahead of the November break.
“It is important for us to get our momentum back.
“We know the next two weeks will be very tough, against two powerful teams.”
Seasoned fullback Andries Coetzee, who contributed to last week’s black eye by missing touch with a penalty that could have set up a potential match-winning maul, admitted their home record is something they want to rectify.
Coetzee, who had brief stints in Japan and Italy, said it feels great to be ‘back home’ at Ellis Park – much like a “child who took a gap year” after finishing school.
“Hopefully I do have an [positive] influence on the young guys,” Coetzee said.
“They do have an influence on me, even though it is a young group [of players].”
Capped 13 times by the Springboks, he said it is not a team driven by egos, just a group that gets along very well.
“That makes it easy for the senior guys and the coaches to work with,” the 32-year-old said.
Looking ahead to facing the Scottish outfit, which upstaged the Bulls in Glasgow in Round Four, Coetzee said it will be a very ‘technical’ challenge.
“After [losing to] the Sharks [last week] they will be determined to set the record straight,” the veteran Bok said.
“It is a big game for us on our home turf.
“We haven’t won a game at home yet and we are determined to end that [dry] run.”
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