VIDEO: Lions will 'rinse and repeat' to end losing streak
The Lions, hoping to arrest their losing streak, have a simple strategy for their United Rugby Championship trip to Durban.
The Sharks host the Lions at Kings Park in a Round Nine outing on Saturday.
For the Lions, it is a crucial game, as their impressive early-season run came to a screeching halt in Europe, back-to-back Challenge Cup losses to Benneton and Newcastle.
That spilled over into a URC loss to the Stormers a fortnight ago.
They are faced with a revitalised Sharks team, who have won both matches since JP Pietersen took over as coach from John Plumtree.
Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher says that structure and accuracy would be key against a Sharks side growing in confidence under Pietersen.
“We want everything to be process-driven,” Loubscher said, adding: “The focus must be on us.”
He said they addressed the issues that cost them a potential win against the Stormers in Cape Town.
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“It is more about training, making sure we stay in the moment and finish all our opportunities.
“It is rinse and repeat and do that every day in training, to ensure you get the same outcome at the weekend.”
In the testing Durban conditions, a seasoned flyhalf like Chris Smith will be a key game-driver.
“Chris has been valuable to the team,” he said, adding: “However, the responsibility is not just on Chris [Smith].
“[Scrumhalf] Morné [van den Berg], Quan Horn at fullback, all our game drivers have had a chat about what we do when we have momentum or don’t have momentum.
“The more we create those pictures in training, it will benefit the players on Saturday to make better decisions.”
Loubscher also spoke about the challenging conditions expected in Durban and the need for clarity under pressure.
“Whenever it’s a derby, especially a South African derby, the battle is physical,” Loubscher said.
“You have to look at the humidity in Durban and the rain we’ve had.
“We need to prepare for all the possible conditions and make sure mentally we’re in the right frame of mind.”
@rugby365com
