The Lions are going through a torrid time this season. Taking a team over that was a unhappy camp is tough in itself. Having so many of your best players abandoning ship makes Dick Muir’s job almost impossible. What possibly could be a possitive for this embattled team, at this stage?
Somehow they must scrape a win , their next game against the Crusaders can turn their season around. Possible? Why not.
Kevin de Klerk said “I have full confidence in the coaching staff and in Henning’s (mind coach Henning Gericke) ability to lift the team, and I am certain that they will bounce back over the next weekend”
But while Gericke boards the plane, De Klerk gave coach Dick Muir a vote of confidence to do what is seemingly the impossible, and get the Lions to win a match in this year’s competition.
“Again, I wish to reiterate that I have full confidence in the coaching staff and the team to do this turn around”, de Klerk said.
However, facing the Crusaders this weekend is a massive ask to cause what would be the shock of the season against the third-placed side.
20@ Balle – Looking at the freedom with which te Rebels (15th Super Team from next year) are out to contract players I would not be so sure.
If the Southern Kings put together an astute management team and contract smartly, then coach them well it could be a decent team…. maybe not fully representative of the region (no Franchise is)… but decent, with no baggage like the Lions are facing at present.
Build proper Rugby Academy facilities in PE and start identifying and nurturing talent and bring them through… follow the blueprint from some of the smarter Unions, like the Bulls…
For instance bring back all overseas based Saffas who originally hail from the Kings areas, contract some of the local players who hail from there…. contract a few stars in key positions (no has-beens) even if they’re not from that part of the Country originally…..
Look, we often rubish the Lions and their coach and structures, but the bottom line is that with the group of players they are currently employing, things are bound to go wrong… it is then compounded by wayward game plans, lack of defence, kak top structures in management.
If the Kings do not suffer the same fate (clear lack of quality players), how can you be sure that they’ll fail so spectacularly as the Lions are doing at present?
Agreed Fender, things do take time but to lose 73-12 is an embarrasment to South African rugby.
@ 20 I like your plan for the Kings, if they have the funding. Only the Bulls have managed to successfully implement those structures you mention. I don’t really care, Lions or Kings, doesn’t matter. Who will be the most likely to be successful in Super rugby. My vote goes to the Lions.
Years and years cannot fix a bunch of ordinary Club Players and some Has-beens…. only a better core group of players, assisted by the right surroundings (coach, structures, game plans.. ect) can turn the Union around.
So, it’s simple….. contract better, develop talent better, hang onto players and do not lose them to other Unions…. and you have a chance, if coached well…. even in season 1!
Look at the Reds…. in 1 season they have turned it around, it appears….. why… because Ewen McKenzie is astute, they have very decent players in pivotal positions (Genia, Cooper… ect). Last year they were rubish, this year they have shown a hell of an improvement.
The Reds were much in the same position which the Lions find themselves… the Lions have fallen more, the Reds have stood up to be counted.
Rugbybal 27,
I’m a big Muir fan and I believed that he’d be able to fix the Lions overnight, I was obviously wrong (disappointment).
Muir obviously needs more time, which he won’t get, hence him having to do the impossible and fix the Lions in one S14 season.
Thus far it has been a dismal fail and the yard stick is sadly a one season yard stick.
33 Gbs,
The problem that Loffie mentioned was players not wanting to move to Jo’burg.
They are unable to contract anything other than has-beens and never-will-be’s because of their base being in the worst part of Jo’burg.
For them to employ decent players, they’ll have to move base (which will never happen). Thus the Lions imo are heading for complete failure, and they’ll become no better than the Pumas or the Valke.
Back in 2002 The Bulls recorded the worst performance to date of the then Super12. Everybody said that Heyneke Meyer was the worst coach ever. Everywhere one went there was jokes galore about the Bulls.
In 2003 The Bulls was the best performers of all SA franchises. And they stayed there.
By the way, in 2002 the Waratahs scored their biggest win (they only improved it against the Lions last week) in Super matches against the Bulls at Loftus. The Waratahs never won at Loftus again.
There is hope for the Lions.
The truth is that the Reds was building a team of youngsters for the last three years. You only see the results now.
Btw, none of what I’m saying is because of me being anti-Lions (I’m firstly anti-Nulle then anti-Tjietas and third only anti-Lions).
I’m just looking at the current situation and the situation over the past 8 or so years, and it is evident that the Lions are going backwards.
Hind sight, Loffie might have been the last good days of Lions rugby in the 21st century. It’s a sad thing when one of the big franchises dies a slow death.
I do however hope I’m wrong.
@ 34 I just want to see all the SA teams up there on the log. Reality is it might never happen. But look at the bright side, when last have we seen 2 SA team on top of the log after 5 rounds of Super Rugby?
Players exodus has affected 2 Super 14 TEAMS tremendously for the 2010 season….
The Western Force and the Lions… and look where they both sit, bottom of the Log!
dWeeper,
Nulle and Reds kept the same coach…..Lions won’t, Muir is gone after this S14 (not sure if he’ll return next year).
Rugbybal 39,
That’s why it is so disapointing to see the Lions struggle, I’m not merely on here taking cheap shots at them, I’m genuinely concerned and am starting to fear the worst.
I’d love to see SA sides occupy the top 5 spots in the S14 and someday it might actually happen in the S15. We should actually be top 4 this season if all teams played to their full potential.
come-on guys
can anyone get us more info on the full audit the jw’ winning ways team did
and the suggestions they’ve made?
i’m really interested in it!
if it was however only that info @ 20
then it was a bloody waste of time and money!!
Ashley,
I think the wc win went to JW’s head, the Boks sucked for most of his time.
Don’t think his not-so-‘winning ways’ solved jack squat for the Lions. Probably why not much has been said about his findings.
firestrauli @ 45
😀
just had a thought
…
maybe i should go ask keo? 😀
47 Ashley,
You should hit yourself on the head for thinking rubbish like that 😆
FireStraeuli @ 48
hmmmm,
yeah maybe i should!! 😀
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