Bruised Lions get clever
Tue, 07 Oct 2008 00:23
The pride of Johannesburg, Eugene Eloff's Lions, have decided to exchange brawn for brains this week as they prepare for their Currie Cup semifinal showdown with the Sharks in Durban on Saturday.
Lions coach Eugene Eloff has given his team two extra days to "rehabilitate" from their bruising league fixture against Western Province at the weekend - a game they lost 6-14, yet still managed to advance to the play-offs.
Wing Trompie Nontshinga is the only major casualty from the trip to Cape Town, having injured his ankle, but Eloff is likely to give him till Thursday to prove his fitness.
Eloff said there were no other serious injuries in a game that produced a "lot of biting, eye poking and scratching".
"Saturday's game was very physical," Eloff told rugby365.com.
"The referee [Craig Joubert] also said to me it was like a Test match," the Lions coach said, in explaining why he decided to delay the start of his team's preparations.
"I just want to give the players a couple of extra days to recover.
"In a week like this [before the play-offs], it is not how hard you train, but how clever you are in your preparations," he said, adding that the Lions will take that same attitude into the semifinal in Durban.
Eloff admits his team will be "huge underdogs" in Durban, but said that’s the best position to be in.
By Jan de Koning
