Baywatch: 'Time to play to our ability'
Wed, 02 Jul 2008 21:21
Lions skipper Cobus 'Baywatch' Grobbelaar knows that his team cannot afford another botched job this weekend when they meet the Falcons in Round Three of the Currie Cup.
The Lions currently prop up the Currie Cup standings in eighth and last place, after a rather inauspicious start to this season's domestic campaign saw them lose their first two matches against the Blue Bulls and the Free State Cheetahs.
The 18-22 loss to the Cheetahs really irked Lions coach Eugene Eloff, who told this website that some of his players were simply not up to the task of performing at the upper end of the Currie Cup.
Eloff also called on his players to really dig deep in an effort to make the necessary step up, since the aim of the team was still to earn a home Final in the competition.
Skipper Grobbelaar felt that Eloff had every right to criticise the players, and agreed that the team had let themselves down somewhat.
"It's never nice to lose your first two matches, but we can't throw in the towel now and think that the Currie Cup is over. There is still a very long way to go," Grobbelaar told rugby365.com in an exclusive interview.
"I think the guys are very keen to come out and play to their potential.
"We want to show what we really can do, and not perform under our ability, as has been happening recently."
The Lions captain did not want to make excuses for the way in which the lions capitulated in their first two encounters, they were made to pay for their mistakes by some very good teams that punished the Lions for their profligacy.
"I have to say also that we are playing against teams that are pretty hungry, and have quality in their own right.
"At the same time, things just aren't seeming to click for us. But we have to learn to live with that.
"We have to learn to deal with that. We have to learn to display more discipline, and also we need to have more patience in our game," he said.
Grobbelaar felt that despite their log standing, the Lions did dominate large parts of the matches they have played, and that it was a lack of execution during scoring opportunities, rather than a lack of creative ability, that led to their downfall.
He also admitted that it was time for his players to stand up and apply themselves that little bit better in the important phases of play.
"The problem is that we play two or three good phases, but then we seem to be making errors repeatedly.
"I fully accept that mistakes do happen, but it is very important that our players take more responsibility in key positions.
"It comes back to the basis that we really need to start playing to our full potential.
"The other teams that we played are also good teams, but to be honest we could have done so much more with the possession that we had in those first two games [against the Bulls and the Cheetahs].
"I certainly don't want to take anything away from those two teams for their victories over us, but I feel that we really should have taken better care in rounding off our opportunities."
The Lions faltering form is somewhat of a mystery to the coach and the skipper, considering that the core of the squad has been together for quite some time now.
It is a well-known fact that the margins in top levels of professional rugby are very slim, and that slightly better finishing could have seen the Lions in a much better position.
But Grobbelaar felt that by rights, his squad should have the momentum with them, and that they should really have brought some momentum through from the Super 14 competition.
"We lost Ernst [Joubert], but with the exception of [long-term injury casualties] André [Pretorius] and Jaque [Fourie] we've kept most of the continuity from the Super 14.
"Actually it should be a good thing for us as a team. We've been playing together for a long period," he said.
The Lions now have to regather their efforts, and launch a renewed attack, with the Falcons next in line.
The lively flank fully acknowledges this fact, and admits that success against the Currie Cup minnows at Ellis Park on Friday is non-negotiable.
"The game against the Falcons is a match we definitely have to pull through," warned Grobbelaar.
"If we play the way I know we can play, and the way we should play, then it will be our aim to score maximum points in that encounter.
"I've seen some video footage [of the Falcons], and it looks like it will be a tough match. It looks as if they like to keep the ball alive, they run good decoy lines, and they look like a good team.
"So we cannot afford to underestimate them. We'll have to go out and play well, and if we want those five points, we'll have to earn it out there."
And judging by the ever-decreasing reserves of patience from their coach, the Lions would really do themselves a favour this weekend by listening to their skipper.
By Phil Coetzer
