Poor finishing cost Lions
2008-07-27 17:35
Johannesburg - Coach Eugene Eloff and his assistant coaches will get the blame, but the
Lions players must now start taking responsibility for the way
they squander tries and log points.
That was the lasting thought after they had lost their Currie Cup match
16-11 to the Sharks in Durban on Saturday through a single late try by
replacement flanker Keegan Daniel.
The Lions backs, with Doppies le Grange in his 50th match putting in one
of his best displays at centre - created enough but again finishing let
this team down.
It's not that the Sharks were lucky. They played well in patches, but
probably have the three wild passes with overlaps to thank for their
four log points.
At scrum time the Lions' front five were in control, and Heinke van der
Merwe must surely have made enough impression on coach Peter de Villiers - who is obviously still searching and has thus far selected five
different front row combinations in six Tests.
One more - an obvious
improvement - will surely not matter?
Lions captain Cobus Grobler was outstanding on the ground and Willem
Alberts was awesome on the run with Franco van der Merwe always there
from the other flank.
The possession stats showed the loose trio's value to their team that
was undone by poor handling - something Eloff should not need to instil
at this level.
For the Sharks, Ruan Pienaar was adequate at flyhalf but was not as at
home as at scrumhalf. Ryan Kankowski and Jacques Botes were given little
opportunity by the Lions to run as they do so well.
An accolade is due to Sharks coach John Plumtree who has plucked wing
Chris Jordaan from club obscurity. He's still raw, but has the makings
of many, many more caps.
- SAPA