This article was spotted by a Lions supporter on saturday 17 October. John Robbie shares his thoughts and his experience within the Lions camp from the time Hans Coetzee took over and explains the impact Jake White had within the GLRU.

Chalk and cheese is a wonderful expression. I have no idea where it came from but as an indication of different extremes it is on its own. Chalk is tasteless, dead and boring while cheese is tantalizing, delicious and alive.
They say that if you looked at cheese under a microscope you would be put off for life so the message is: “Simply enjoy the taste.” I love it.

A few short months ago the British and Irish tour fixture was an absolute nadir for the local Lions.
The home side lost by about 70 but that was only the half of it. The union had fired Eugene Eloff as coach just a week before and at the game you could sense hopelessness and dejection everywhere. The stadium was scruffy, the pre-match fare badly planned and there were nearly as many hangers-on at the touchline as fans in the ground.
The performance on the field was ‘n thundering disgrace. the whole affair was an embarrassment. I felt sorry for Hans Coetzee, the new coach, and with so many players leaving or rumored to be leaving, you felt despair for the future.

We were told that Jake White had a role to play – but what was it? Was he a coach, a manager, a consultant or a freeloader trading on his reputation? Who knew and – after the nightmare – who really cared?

Ellis Park that night was like a chalk pit.

Last week it had transformed into a cheese factory. The captain’s run last Friday was a revelation. The stadium has undergone a face-lift. Clearly every official – and there were plenty present – had a specific job and was attired in tasteful corporate colors proudly identifying them with the Lions.

Jake White had a representative there who, as well as being responsible for a specific aspect of coaching, is also in charge of logistics. Everything ran like clockwork and the energy and enthusiasm was palpable. I handed out the team jerseys after the run and made an observation about the one thing that was still obviously and infuriatingly very wrong in the set-up. Instantly there was a commitment to right it.

Saturday was quite simply one of the best Currie Cup matches seen anywhere in years. Province came to win and early on threatened to run riot. They were just about held, then matched and then dramatically overcome. The Lions never lost composure, but played with a commitment that was frightening. Earl Rose, despite the odd infuriating blunder, showed why he could yet emerge as a superstar. He has a vision on the field that is almost supernatural. He could be rugby’s Herschelle Gibbs.

Doppies Le Grange and Baywatch were back to their best. Willem Alberts showed why he simply cannot be ignored any more by the Springbok selectors and Dusty Noble was a revelation. Every player did his job and you could feel the unbridled joy after the famous win.

Kevin de Klerk, the new president, has made a wonderful start. We read that a new coach is soon to be appointed. Why? Surely Hans Coetzee has demonstrated in a few short months that he is the only man for the job. He is a man of the province and surely he has earned the right to continue coaching it.

Today (saturday) we have two delicious semi-finals, each a traditional grudge match. May the best sides win in these classic encounters. Any combination will be an intriguing final. I fancy the Sharks against Province but all four are in with a chance. This season the Currie Cup has again shown us why it is so special and why any Sanzar attempt to injure it must be rejected. With contempt.

If I were a player, even Jacques Fourie, the team I would want to play for next season is one not in action today, the one based in Ellis Park. They have turned chalk into cheese already. Next year it could be gold.