VIDEO: JP sees signs of the 'Lions of old'
JP Ferreira spent 10 years as an assistant coach at Ellis Park, before he moved to Limerick and took up the same position at Munster in Ireland.
On Saturday his former team, the Lions, host Munster at Ellis Park and Ferreira is pumped to set foot back on the hallowed turf.
The Irish province’s first outing on South African soil did not go according to plan.
Ferreira admitted that the Munster players struggled to find their feet in the heat of Pretoria in the first half at Loftus Versfeld last Saturday, but in the last half-hour managed to “turn it on” against the Bulls – coming back from a 3-26 deficit at half-time to narrowly lose 24-29.
However, this time they are primed for a different challenge and ready to get out of the blocks much faster.
Ferreira said after a week of “acclimatisation” the players are in much better shape ahead of the rescheduled Round Seven game against the Lions at his former stomping ground, Ellis Park.
“It should be a cracker on Saturday,” Ferreira said, adding that they are looking forward to the outing.
With Munster head coach Johann van Graan having had his ‘homecoming’ at Loftus Versfeld last week, Ferreira gets his chance to return to a previous purlieu.
Ferreira touched on the coaching reshuffle at the Johannesburg-based franchise – where he was defence coach for many years – saying it will “take time” to evolve and the players get used to the new personnel.
He said there is clearly a change in approach under head coach Ivan van Rooyen’s new assistants – Ricardo Laubscher, Jaque Fourie and Albert van den Berg.
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“They had a different style at the weekend,” he said of their 37-20 win over Cardiff in a rescheduled URC Round Six match.
“I will take you back to 2016 and 2017 Super Rugby,” Ferreira told @rugby365com, adding: “It is that style they played against the Highlanders and Crusaders at Ellis Park.
“It is that style, where they want to speed up the game – use the players on the edges to get the momentum and over the gainline.
“It is going to be an interesting one, because we have had a week at altitude now and I don’t expect us to have a slow start like we had last week [against the Bulls].
“It is going to be a good tussle and I am looking forward to it.”
Last week’s loss to the Bulls came after impressive wins over the Sharks (42-17 in September) and the Stormers (34-18 in October) – both at Thomond Park.
Munster, with eight wins from 12 starts, are this on the standings.
In contrast, the Lions last week scored just their third win – and first of 2022 – hovering in a lowly 14th position.
Ferreira, who played for the University of Pretoria alongside Munster head coach Johann van Graan, retired in 2007 – after suffering a knee injury playing for the Falcons.
He started doing analysis for the Falcons and was offered an analyst position with the Lions, where his role gradually changed to include coaching.
When Johan Ackermann took over as head coach of the Lions in 2012, he made Ferreira the side’s permanent defence coach as well as their head analyst and, under their guidance, the Lions reached consecutive Super Rugby finals in 2016 and 2017.
Despite losing both finals, the Lions had the best defensive record during both seasons.
Ferreira left the Lions in December 2017 to join the Irish province, Munster.
Along with Van Graan Ferreira will join English Premiership club Bath as their new defence coach from the 2022–23 season.
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