Lions out to turn up the heat on Pau side in Joburg pressure cooker
The Lions might insert one or two surprise selections into their match-23 this weekend when they face Pau to restart their season after a run of three consecutive losses … if Thursday’s training session is anything to go by.
After a solid start to the United Rugby Championship, where they beat Ulster, Edinburgh, the Dragons and Zebre, the Joburgers have fallen into a hole, dug by their inability to take their chances.
They have now also struck a vein of ill-discipline.
In the last month, they subsequently lost to Leinster, despite a heroic effort, and then came unstuck to Munster.
The most recent setback – a 30-14 loss to the Ospreys in the EPCR Challenge Cup – was a frustrating watch riddled with error and a lack of self-control at crucial moments.
Moreover, the fringe players were handed duty last Sunday in Llanelli, but it will no doubt concern the coaching staff that they battled in such a manner.
Question within the squad will be posed, concerning whether those players are truly as close as Ivan van Rooyen and Co believe they are in skill-set and talent to the first-choice players.
Nonetheless, although there will be worry regarding form and confidence, it remains a pit at present that the Lions still have the ability to escape from, starting with the French Top 14 club on Saturday at Ellis Park (5.15pm kick-off) in a second-round Challenge Cup clash.
On Thursday, there were a few noticeable players running drills with the preferred match-23 during training at Ellis Park, and one or two omissions, too.
Afterwards, Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher revealed that despite the loss to the Welsh franchise last weekend, a handful of players had done enough to impress the management team, and perhaps even get another look-in on Saturday.
“We were really happy with (young flyhalf) Sam Francis,” Loubscher admitted. “It was his debut.
“When you think about him going on tour and playing in those conditions, we were really happy with his performance. Maybe there is another opportunity for him (on Saturday). Nico (Steyn) also played well …
“It was more than just an opportunity to just put up their hands. Some of the players took it, and let’s see what they can do for us on Saturday.”
If Francis does play, it could be at the expense of Kade Wolhuter, who is eligible for selection after clearing concussion protocols, in the starting XV.
The former was tested by the Ospreys and come under intense scrutiny when he missed a handful of pots at goal.
Scrumhalf Steyn, meanwhile, will most likely replace a rested Sanele Nohamba, with Springbok Morné van den Berg returning to the squad on the bench.
Moreover, there is concern regarding the fitness of centre Henco van Wyk and Bok fullback Quan Horn, although a final assessment will only be made public on Friday.
If they are unable to play, then Erich Cronjé will surely step into the outside-centre role, alongside Marius Louw, while Tapiwa Mafura will most likely get another run in the No.15 jumper.
Loubscher revealed that the majority of the first-choice players have been training in Joburg since last week, and therefore the former Bok assistant coach believes that regardless of the make-up of the team, they can win both the battle upfront and the rapid assault in the backline.
Said Loubscher: “The French, if they are on a high and they have a good start, it can be a long day.
“They are physical. If you watched the Stormers against Toulon on the weekend, they have some big boys. They can attack, so your defence must be good.
“From our point of view, we want to make sure we put them under pressure. We need a good start. The first 20, 30 minutes, we want to be direct.
“Our set-piece,” he added, “whether it is scrum or lineout time, we have the pack to do it and get the backs on the front foot.
“The important thing for the backs is to use those opportunities, to be ‘eyes up’, to scan and make good decisions on the day.”
The Lions will have to be at their best, and cannot assume their game is half-won due to home-ground advantage and scorching conditions.
Although mystery surrounds ‘La Section’s’ touring squad, there are credible whispers that it is a formidable unit that will be selected to face the Lions.