The Emirates Lions have acknowledged that their own discipline let them down in their EPCR Challenge Cup match loss last weekend against Welsh side Ospreys, and have pinpointed this as a key area to rectify ahead of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship Jukskei derby against the Vodacom Bulls in Pretoria on Saturday.
The Lions looked set for victory but were undone in the final minutes, losing a 27-18 lead to lose 37-27 in their EPCR game, and most of their problems were of their own doing as they had three yellow cards during the game.
The final one to flanker Hanru Sirgel was indeed costly, as they conceded three tries in the 10 minutes he was off the field.
Captain Marius Louw believes that this has to improve if they are to have any chance of repeating their big win at Loftus Versfeld a year ago.
“We were a little bit disappointed with our performance over the weekend. We had some good entries and scored a few good tries, but our discipline was not good enough. So that is something we will be looking into,” he said.
“It is very uncharacteristic of us, especially in the last 10 minutes letting go like that. It was definitely a discussion point going into the week.”
Louw is wary of the Bulls, and knows they are a lot stronger than they were last year and that they will be more dangerous this time around.
“They played a lot of good rugby over the past few weeks, especially at home, we know how they are - very physical and they spread the ball wide with their backs. It is definitely going to be a tough one and I’m looking forward to it.”
Asked how the Lions shore up their defence and make sure they are on top to create scoreboard pressure, Louw also hinted at fatigue, even though most of the side was not in Europe the week before.
“It just comes down to working a little bit harder to identify the space. We were also a little bit flat-footed and it is something we looked into this week to make sure we perform at our best and that our intensity is better this weekend.
“I think over the past few years we have struggled to win against SA teams but now we have that monkey off our backs. It is now more about sticking to the process before going on the little break. The shield is definitely in the back of the mind but keep it there so we can perform.”
And are they drawing any inspiration from their good win at Loftus last year. Louw believes not.
“It is too far in the past, not something to rely on. Last weekend is the past. We control the future and what we can do.”
Now all the Lions have to do is to prove it to themselves again this weekend.
Both sides will name their teams for the clash on Friday.