Lions' recipe for success: 'Hard work'
Sun, 17 Aug 2008 20:56
The Wellington Lions are sitting pretty at the top of the Air New Zealand Cup standings, unbeaten and with 15 out of a possible 15 points. This is the result of hard work and not just unlimited talent.
While a team like the defending champions Auckland - second from bottom with one win from three starts - are struggling after losing as many as 15 senior players, the Lions have not just relied on the experience from last year's squad.
Wellington coach Jamie Joseph at the weekend spoke of the "team culture" of hard work that is behind the team's success and consistency.
Joseph, a former Otago stalwart and in his first year coaching Wellington, said he had inherited a history of Wellington making semifinals or finals but not winning anything - such as losing to Auckland in last year's Final.
"The mistake in the past was expecting the talent of the team to get us through and clearly that is not enough to win the Air NZ Cup," Joseph told NZPA.
Wellington chalked up a 64-7 win last Friday over Counties-Manukau, who had beaten defending champions Auckland in the first round.
The nine-try demolition almost matched Wellington's record winning margin in the competition of 68-7 scored against Otago last year.
After losing last year's Cup Final 14-23 to Auckland, Joseph said the team decided they would adopt new measures this season such as working harder and giving the young talent in the squad a realistic chance of making the playing 15.
"That is part of the approach I have taken as the coach and the players have bought into that," Joseph said.
As an example of giving new players their opportunities, Joseph plucked first five-eighth (No.10) Fa'atonu Fili out of club rugby after Wellington lost Daniel Kirkpatrick to injury.
Fili delivered an assured performance and kicked a penalty and eight conversions against Counties-Manukau.
"It was a bit of a punt and it paid off," Joseph said.
"We had a lot of youthful energy mixed in with the experienced players and that's probably what has taken us to a new level."
Six points separate the top six after three rounds, and Joseph said he was not surprised by the closeness of the competition.
He believed it hammered home the point every team had to get their mental preparation spot on or risk being knocked over.
Wellington next face Southland at Invercargill on Friday night and if his side were not switched on they could lose, Joseph said.
