Last week the Emirates Lions returned to their “basics” against the Dragons and it paid dividends. This week they want to up the ante and score “bragging rights” in the process.
Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher explained that the team had had a tough discussion about their style of play over the past few months, which saw them drop from a top four position to 12th on the log in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship.
The Lions returned to their free-flowing pattern and scored a massive victory over the Dragons to give them confidence and momentum going into the Jukskei derby.
“Heading into the Dragons game we had a big discussion as coaches, that we felt over the last couple of games we had gone away from our usual attacking game,” Loubscher explained this week at the team’s media update.]
“Taking the learnings from the Stormers and Montpellier games we knew we had to play to our strengths to give ourselves a chance and we did that. But it will be tough on Saturday.
“If you look at the previous games we have played against the Bulls it’s physical, it’s tough, it’s set piece dominated and there is a massive emphasis on the kicking game. So hopefully we can give ourselves a chance to play our way.”
The Lions know they have only beaten the Bulls once in the past in the URC, and came close last season at Loftus Versfeld. They also haven’t beaten them in Johannesburg and in the return game last year were well-beaten by the Pretoria side.
So this is a game they desperately want to win, with Springbok scrumhalf Morne van den Berg saying at the same press conference that it was “personal” for the players.
“It’s a big occasion just to play in a derby. So we try not to make it bigger than it already is. It’s not a normal game and is always personal. But we try not to make too big a thing out of it and to just focus on what we are doing well,” said Loubscher.
“Last season the disappointment was that the game at Loftus came down to one referee decision. Then in the game at home we didn’t play to our potential. There were a lot of individual errors and we allowed them back into the game.
“We didn’t play our way and couldn’t execute our way of play. So this week a lot of the focus will be on what we need to do as a team, versus adapting all the time and playing the way the Bulls want us to play.”
The Lions know they will have to bring their A game to get the win, and nothing less will be acceptable.
They will name their side for the clash on Friday.