'Slow and ugly': It could all fall apart for Lions
SPOTLIGHT: The Lions will need to conjure up something special if they want to upset Franco Smith’s Glasgow side at Scotstoun Stadium.
The pressure to get points out of that match went up a notch after Ivan van Rooyen’s side failed to land a killer blow against Cardiff last weekend.
A 17-20 defeat at Arms Park has left the Johannesburg team in 13th position in the standings with just five rounds left to play before the play-offs.
After the Glasgow clash, the Lions will have a home stretch against Benetton, Connacht, Scarlets and Ospreys. However, they don’t want to leave things too late and fall agonisingly short of a play-off spot again.
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“In this competition, if you stumble along the road or if you lose a game, you can’t go back to that defeat because you will always lose sight of your next job,” said Lions flank JC Pretorius.
“I wouldn’t say our backs are against the wall, but I know we can fight our way out of this.
“We definitely deserve to be in that top eight.”
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The Lions had Cardiff on the ropes for large periods of the game, but the visitors could not convert that dominance into points.
Just by looking at the stats, one would think that the Lions destroyed their opponents.
They dominated territory and possession. In fact, Cardiff made over 200 tackles during the match.
Possession
Defence
“I think they [Cardiff] were smart on the night,” said Lions assistant coach Julian Redelinghuys.
“We were slow to react to their kicking game and to make sure we secure those balls.
“We were slow to fix the attacking breakdowns early in the game, where they made it slow and ugly for us.
“It was a frustrating game and it was an unfortunate result for us.
“Even though we didn’t play like we wanted to, we still had an opportunity to win it at the end, and unfortunately, we couldn’t get it over or on the line.
“There is a lot for us to fix this week, but I am sure the guys will respond well after last weekend’s disappointment.”
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United Rugby Championship
Go behind the scenes of both camps during the British and Irish Lions tour of South Africa in 2021. Binge watch exclusively on RugbyPass TV now
