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'SA Rugby can't afford passengers': Lions latest URC 'diabolical' showing a cause for concern
The Emirates Lions were on the wrong end of another lopsided defeat in the latest round of the United Rugby Championship, enduring more suffering at the hands of the Bulls going down 34-10.
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The Johannesburg-based club has continued to fall from the heights achieved in Super Rugby under former coach Swys de Bruin, where they reached three straight Super Rugby finals and were South Africa’s premier team for a number of seasons.
Since 2020, the Lions have just five wins across 24 fixtures in Super Rugby, Pro14 Rainbow Cup and United Rugby Championship tournaments. They have managed three draws after conceding 16 losses.
Many of those losses have occurred against their traditional South African rivals, the Bulls, Stormers and Sharks, who they competed in a domestic-only Super Rugby Unlocked tournament and Rainbow Cup tournament in 2020 and 2021 due to pandemic restrictions on international travel.
It is clear they have become South Africa’s worst pro franchise with the Southern Kings entering liquidation and the Free State Cheetahs losing their status as a Super Rugby or Pro club and becoming a Currie Cup team.
Fans described their latest performance as ‘aimless’ and a ‘dire display’. Fans lamented that their recruitment has become ‘nothing short of diabolical’. The squad doesn’t have a current Springbok on their roster, with a few ex-Boks scattered among the team.
@LionsRugbyCo what a dire display …. Men against boys. Aimless, coach-less, star-less little pussy cats. My lion heart bleeds for the mess Straueli has made of Ellis Park… #LIOvBUL
— MasterYak (@yakballs) January 29, 2022
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In 3 and abit years Ivan van Rooyen has produced nothing to prove that he deserves the job as head coach at the Lions.#SSRugby #LIOvBUL
— Daft Wullie (@WullieDaft) January 29, 2022
The bulls get back to winning ways Luckily it doesn't mean much for the Bulls. Everyone is getting the W and 5 points when playing against the Lions. the Lions need a new head coach. Talent is there with a mixture of experience and youth. #URC #TrueToTheBlue #SSRugby #LIOvBUL
— Christopher (@Christo79744616) January 29, 2022
@LionsRugbyCo How did we go from being SuperRugby finalists for 3 years in a row not so long ago, to playing like we are nowadays?? Let's pack away the clever hashtags until we put some REAL pride back into our union!!! We used to mould #Springboks…what now? #LIOvBUL #URC
— Dino Zambetti (@zambusta) January 29, 2022
Lions breakdown:
1. Schoeman remains a liability
2. Lineouts are pathetic
3. Work at the breakdown needs to improve
4. Zeilinga shouldn't be near a URC team at the moment— Micycle (@88Marsh) January 29, 2022
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SA Rugby can't afford passengers. We have 4 URC sides from which to select the local Boks. Flyhalf is a position we need more depth so the sooner a guy like Jordan Hendrickse gets the Lions 10 jersey the better. Fred Z is just not good enough
— Adrian Slabbert (@adrian_slabbert) January 29, 2022
One concerning aspect from the SA derbies this weekend is the performances of the flyhalves.
Morne Steyn aside, nobody showing the composure and kicking accuracy to play at Test level.— Dylan Jack (@dylmjack) January 29, 2022
The Lions recruitment and subsequent backslide is nothing short of diabolical. To go from the premier SA side to not even having a single current Springbok is baffling. Very disappointing as a long time fan.
— Luke Warren (@LukejkWarren) January 29, 2022
Rugby365’s Jan de Koning summarised the Lions as being ‘their own worst enemies’ in his match report, noting the ‘comedy of errors’ in their execution.
“They were almost their own worst enemies, their execution nothing more than a comedy of errors,” he wrote.
“It did not help that Lions captain Burger Odendaal was knocked out cold, getting his head on the wrong side in a tackle, early in the second half. He departed on a mobile stretcher.
“The home team also lost veteran utility forward Willem Alberts to injured midway through the second half.
“The only real positive for the Lions was their powerful scrums and the occasional maul.”
Comments on RugbyPass
The World Cup has to be the gold standard, line in the sand. 113 teams compete for what is the opportunity to make the pool stages, and then the knockout games for the trophy. The concept is sound. This must have been the rationale when the World Cup was created, surely? But I’m all for Looking forward and finding new ways for the SH to dominate the NH into the future. The autumn series needs a change up. Let’s start by having the NH teams come south every odd year for the Autumn/Spring series games?
1 Go to commentsWhat’ll happen when the AI models of the future go back in time and try to destroy the AI models of the past standing in their way of certain victory?
41 Go to commentsThanks, Nick. We (Seanny Maloney, Brett and I) just discussed Charlie as a potential Wallaby No 8, and wondered if he has truly realised how big he is in contact (and whether he can add 5 kg w/o slowing down). Your scouting report confirms our suspicions he has the materiel. No one knows if he has the mentality (as Johann van Graan said this week about CJ, Duane and Alfie B) to carry 10-15 times a game.
57 Go to commentsHe would be a great player for the Stormers, Dobbo should approach the guy.
3 Go to commentsGood article. A few years back when he was playing for the Cheetahs, he was a quiet standout for exactly the seasons stated here. I occasionally get to see his games in the UK, and he has become a more complete player and in many ways like an Irish player. His work ethic is so suitable to the Leinster game. I wonder if Rassie would have him listed somewhere.
3 Go to commentsResults probably skewed by the fact that a few clubs have foreign fly halves in their 30s, but most teams have young English scrum halves. Results also likely to be skewed by the fact that many teams rely on centres and fullbacks to provide depth at 10, whereas they will need to stock a large number of specialist backup 9s.
1 Go to commentsI really get the sense that when all is said and done, the path of least resistance will end up being a merger of Wasps & Worcester that essentially kills the Worcester Warriors brand and sees Wasps permanently playing at Sixways. I’m not saying that’s what should happen or what I want to happen. I just think it’s the easiest rout to take and therefore, will be what happens. Wasps will definitely return to play first, and I suppose it all depends on if they can find support at Sixways. If people turn up and support Wasps in that community, at that ground, I bet they drop the Sevenoaks plan and just remain at Sixways. Under the radar but not totally unrelated, it looks as though London Irish are going to be brought back from the dead by a German consortium and look set to return, likely to the remade Championship. It’s set to have 12 clubs next season with 14 in 2025/26, what do you want to bet those extra 2 are Wasps and London Irish?
3 Go to commentsThe shoulder is a “joint” with multiple bones. You don’t “fracture” a shoulder, you fracture any one or more of the bones that make up a shoulder.
2 Go to commentsOh dear, bones too suspect to continue?
2 Go to commentsBold headline considering the Canes and Blues are 1 and 2 and the Brumbies were soundly beaten by the Chiefs and Blues. Biggest surprise is Rebels 4 Crusaders 12 - no one saw that coming. If Aus are improving that’s great 👍
1 Go to commentsAnna, You are right, we need to have patience whilst the others catch up to England and France. Also it is the PWR that has been the game changer for England. the RFU put money into that initially at the expense of the Red Roses. I was sceptical at first but it has paid off in spades.
1 Go to commentsI think Matt Proctor became a 1 test AB in the same fixture. Cameron is quality and has been great this season, can’t believe’s he only 27. Realistically how would he not be selected for ABs squad this year. Only Dmac is ahead of him as a specialist 10. With Jordan out, it will come down to where and when Beauden Barrett slots back in, and where they want to play Ruben Love. Cameron seems an absolute lock in for the wider squad though. Added benefit of TJ-Cameron-Jordie combination at 9, 10, 11 too.
1 Go to commentsFarcical, to what end would someone want to pay to keep this thing going.
1 Go to commentsHavili, our best 12 by a mile, will be in the squad, if he stays fit. JB is the most overrated AB in the last 50 years.
61 Go to commentsWe had during the week twilight footy, twilight cricket, tw golf plus there was the athletics club. Then the weekend was rugby 15s plus the net ball, really busy club scene back then but so much has changed and rugby has suffered. And it was all about changing lifestyles.
6 Go to commentsIn the 70s and 80s my club ran 5 Senior sides plus a Vets. Now it is 2 sides with an occasional 3rd team. Players have difficulty getting to training now, not sure why and the commitment is not there. It seems to me more a problem of people applying themselves and not expecting to turn up and play whenever they want to.
6 Go to commentsROG’s contract is until 2027. The conversation about a successor to Galthie after RWC 2027 may be starting now. We can infer that Galthie’s reign stops then. He is throwing the Irish Coaching Job angle in because he is Irish. The next Irish coach MUST be Leo Cullen. As well as being the best coach available, coaching the vast majority of Irish Internationals week in week out, he has shown incredible skill at recruiting the best coaching staff for the job in hand. That was a failing in France. Cullen is a shrewd guy and if there is a need for foreign coaches underneath him he won’t hesitate. Rightly so. Ireland does need to start to bring Irish coaches through. Not just at the professional level but we need to train coaches to man new pathways for developing kids from schools/clubs up through the divisions.
8 Go to commentsNo Islam says it must rule where it stands Thus it is to be deleted from this planet Earth
19 Go to commentsThis team probably does not beat the ABs sadly Not sure if BPA will be available given his signing for Force but has to enter consideration. Very strong possibility of getting schooled by the AB props. Advantage AB. Rodda/Skelton would be a tasty locking combination - would love to see how they get on. Advantage Wallabies. Backrow a risk of getting out hustled and outmuscled by ABs. Will be interesting to see if the Blues feast on the Reds this weekend the way they did the Brumbies we are in big trouble at the breakdown. Great energy, running and defence but goalkicking/general kicking/passing quality in the halves bothers me enormously. SA may have won the World Cup for a lot of the tournament without a recognised goalkicker but Pollard in the final made a difference IMO. Injuries and retirements leave AB stocks a bit lighter but still stronger. 12 and 13 ABs shade it (Barret > Paisami, Ione = Ikitau, arguably) Interesting clash of styles on the wings - Corey Toole running around Caleb Clark and Caleb running over the top of Toole. Reece vs Koro probably the reverse. Pretty even IMO. 15s Kelleway = Love See advantage to ABs man for man, but we are not obviously getting slaughtered anywhere which makes a nice change. Think talent wise we are pretty even and if our cohesion and teamwork is better than the ABs then its just about doable.
11 Go to commentsCompletely agree. More friday night games would be a hit. RFU to make sure every club has a floodlit pitch. Club opens again Saturday to welcome touch / tag. Minis and youths on Sunday
6 Go to comments