Can desperate WP end losing streak?
Thu, 02 Sep 2010 23:59
Big game hunting: Lions scrumhalf Jano Vermaak. (c) Gallo
It is a hat-trick Western Province are desperate to avoid - three successive defeats.
Province coach Allister Coetzee realise his team faces a "stern test of character" when they travel to Johannesburg to face a vastly improved Lions outfit in a crucial Currie Cup encounter on Friday.
The young Lions, now with New Zealander John Mitchell as their permanent coach, are bristling with enthusiasm and confidence on the back of a three-match winning streak.
It will be a game two contrasting styles - the Lions' free-running style against the defensive-orientated approach of the visitors.
Despite having lost their last two matches, the Lions are not dismissing WP as a major threat.
Lions forwards coach Johan Ackermann said they still have the "utmost respect" for Western Province and what they have achieved already this year.
"You have to keep in mind, the [two] games they lost were not against weak teams," Ackermann told rugby365.com.
"The Sharks had a number of their Springboks back and performed very well, while the Cheetahs showed why they played in the Currie Cup Final last year," the former Springbok lock said.
He added that the Cheetahs can beat any team on the day.
Ackermann said WP remain a "really tall order" and one of the top teams in the Currie Cup competition.
The key will be which team controls possession.
"The general trend, from all the teams, has been to hold onto the ball longer," Ackermann said, adding: "If you kick, it has to be tactically accurate."
He also spoke about Province's defence, which have leaked a miserly 10 tries in eight games - four of those in their two defeats.
However, the Lions feel their attack is good enough to overcome this hurdle.
Although many feel the Lions' expansive approach is flawed, Ackermann said they are not a 'willy nilly' outfit.
"We have given the guys a good framework, but we believe they still have enough freedom to show some initiative," he told rugby365.com.
"{Head coach] John [Mitchell] has put in place a great framework and within that the players have the guidelines.
"However, on the field the players will see different opportunities and because of their youthfulness it will allow them to make those adjustments."
He said the key is to "cut out the 50-50 passes and retain possession", then they can cause plenty of problems for any defence.
For Province victory is non-negotiable, having dropped from the top of the standings to a distant second - seven points behind the Sharks - after their defeats to the Sharks and Cheetahs.
The WP coach, Coetzee, described it as the last game of a tough and challenging phase of the competition - comprising games against Griquas, Blue Bulls, Sharks Cheetahs and now the Lions.
"Like other provinces we also sit with injuries," Coetzee said.
"We need to try and squeeze out a victory and then we're back on track."
Coetzee said he was not surprised by the Lions great surge of late.
"The Lions, like any of the top four or five unions, have a lot of pride. They're a successful franchise.
"I think John Mitchell is a great disciplinarian. He started with that, and you can see that in the way they play and the structures that they've got there. It was never easy to go to Ellis Park and win there.
"Those guys are coming out there to make sure they make a statement."
Recent results:
2007: Western Province won 18-13, Cape Town
2007: Lions won 19-16, Johannesburg
2008: Lions won 27-13, Johannesburg
2008: Western Province won 14-6, Cape Town
2009: Western Province won 25-20, Cape Town
2009: Lions won 27-25, Johannesburg
2010: Western Province won 32-0, Cape Town
rugby365.com Prediction: The Lions imploded when they came up against Western Province earlier this season, but there has since appeared a real maturity in their game - installed by new coach John Mitchell. However, WP - despite recent results - have not suddenly become a bad team. This will be a cracker that could produce all that is good about South African rugby - brutal forwards play, staunch defence and the excitement if young players willing to express themselves. Province will be hurting and the Lions will have to be on top of their game. However, we feel the men from Cape Town will bounce back in style against their hosts. Western Province to win by less than 10 points.
Teams:
Lions: 15 Jaco Taute, 14 Jannie Boshoff, 13 Waylon Murray, 12 Doppies la Grange, 11 Michael Killian, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Joshua Strauss, 6 Derick Minnie, 5 Franco van der Merwe (captain), 4 George Earle, 3 Ross Geldenhuys, 2 Martin
Bezuidenhout, 1 JC Janse van Rensburg.
Replacements: 16 Edgar Marutlulle, 17 Wayne Swart, 18 Johan Snyman, 19 Renaldo Bothma, 20 JP Joubert, 21 Burton Francis, 22 Marius Delport.
Western Province: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 JJ Engelbrecht, 13 Tim Whitehead, 12 Paul Bosch, 11 Frikkie Welsh, 10 Willem de Waal, 9 Dewaldt Duvenage, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Nick Köster, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Anton van Zyl (captain), 4 Adriaan Fondse, 3 Brok Harris, 2 Deon Fourie, 1 JD Moller.
Replacements: 16 Callie Visagie, 17 Wicus Blaauw, 18 Buhle Mxunyelwa, 19 De Kock Steenkamp, 20 Pieter Myburgh, 21 Conrad Hoffmann, 22 Marcel Brache.
Date: Friday, September 3
Venue: Coca-Cola Park, Johannesburg
Kick-off: 19.10 (17.10 GMT)
Referee: Mark Lawrence
Assistant referees: Archie Sehlako, Luke Burger
TMO: Gerrie
Coetzee
By Jan de Koning
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