Gianni Lombard Flyhalf Gianni Lombard has injected confidence into the Lions attack, says coach Ivan van Rooyen. Photo: BackpagePix
Image: BackpagePix
The conundrum facing the Lions this week ahead of their United Rugby Championship rematch against the Sharks has been how to improve on an almost perfect performance, but Ivan van Rooyen has nit-picked a few areas to polish.
The coach knows that while it is difficult for his team to go up too many notches, the Sharks will be a different animal at Kings Park in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship return derby (2pm kick-off).
In Durban the fall-out from the Sharks’ 38-14 defeat last weekend has been near nuclear, while they are back at home after three matches on the road.
They also have the “comfort” of being used to the oppressive heat that suffocates the east coast at this time of the year.
“It is impossible to replicate anything,” Van Rooyen said of his happy dilemma after training in Johannesburg on Thursday.
“It is a new week and a new challenge. We are under no illusion that the Sharks are going to be better. Any hurting SA team going into another derby will be up for the challenge.
“We know that it will be a totally different 30 to 40 minutes coming our way, and we have to be even better than last week, and focus on what we must do to ensure we meet them head on.”
An obvious issue for the Lions’ coaching staff – and defence coach Jaque Fourie in particular – was that they were within five minutes of keeping the Sharks scoreless, only to let in two late tries.
“They will get confidence out of that last five minutes,” Van Rooyen said.
“We were structurally good for 70 minutes, and need to refocus on that so that they don’t get those unfair one-on-ones, where backs are against forwards.
“We must keep our defensive structure because they have got X-factor all over the park, be it forwards or backs,” Van Rooyen continued.
“In those last few minutes, they reminded us that if we are not disciplined and go out of our structures, they will punish us. They have skill, pace, and size all over.
“Confrontation-wise, last week was the best we have been this season. But the moment we switch off, we give the Sharks opportunities.”
The coach said the Lions have addressed some issues around decision-making and effectiveness at the defensive breakdowns, and moving into space.
“Our attack is still not accurate enough. There were a few opportunities created that we did not finish and I want more consistency in the set pieces.”
Looking at the positives, Van Rooyen is pleased with how Gianni Lombard has taken his opportunity in the No 10 jersey.
It had been a position of concern for the Lions for some time, but Lombard seems to have cured a headache for the coach.
“Gianni has definitely injected confidence into our attack,” he said.
“His accuracy around decision-making in terms of attacking space has been really good. I’m been impressed with that. He has changed the way we play.
“We were looking for a spark at flyhalf, and while each player brings something unique, Gianni’s spark currently is brightest.”
An area where the Lions have shown significant improvement is their work at the attacking breakdowns.
“We are moving better around the breakdown, and that allows the big bodies to make dominant hits,” Van Rooyen explained.
“A month ago, we were untidy around the breakdowns, so it is a big fix because the big bodies can make an impact.
“If you have dangerous backs like Henco van Wyk, Edwill van der Merwe and Manny Rass running on to quick momentum ball, it is a lot different to playing off static ball – especially in derbies, where every centimetre going forward makes a massive difference.”