If the Lions are to have a late rally in the United Rugby Championship and make the play-offs, they must focus on their attacking DNA and have “constant energy” throughout their games.
That is the opinion of scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys, as the Lions prepare for their SA derby with the Stormers at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The Lions are in 13th position on the points table and have to win to keep alive their faint prospects of making the Top 8. Their last match was a 35-22 defeat to the Bulls in Johannesburg and Redelinghuys says harsh review sessions had made it clear what must be fixed.
“Fortunately, we have had a good break from playing and that allowed us to work hard on fundamentals in training,” the former Springbok prop said.
“The big thing is we need consistent energy throughout 85 minutes,” he continued. “Even if we make errors we must stay in the fight. Against the Bulls, we were in it until about the 55th minute and then slacked off a bit.
“We can’t afford to lose the energy we thrive on. That has been a big work-on for us.”
Redelinghuys revealed the players are unanimous that they must stick to what works for them, no matter the pressure in the game.
“I won’t give away too much but we know the type of rugby we should be playing and we must not go into our shells, he said. “We are trying to build on our identity (of attacking rugby) and must focus on our DNA. That is what the last two weeks have been about.”
Redelinghuys added that the Lions tend to lose their way in local derbies.
“The games against our SA rivals are different to the other games in the URC,” he said. “We feel we almost stop playing our games when we play the SA teams and that is wrong.
“We must stay dynamic and play how we want to. We must control our game plan from start to finish. We can’t be having good starts and bad finishes or vice versa. There can’t be periods of slacking off. We have to strive to create opportunities throughout the game.”
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A big part of the game is Redelinghuys’ area of expertise and he is expecting a backlash from a Stormers pack that was humbled last week by the Bulls.
There was the unusual sight of Bok tighthead Frans Malherbe going backward all afternoon in Cape Town.
“Let me start by saying that Frans is one of the unsung heroes of South African rugby and for him to get to 150 caps for the Stormers is phenomenal,” the scrum coach said.
“I can say that because I had the privilege of playing with him at the Springboks. Frans did not always get the credit he deserves but lately, he is being better recognised.
“The Stormers want to hit back in the scrums on Saturday. In rugby, whichever department you have been caught short in, you throw extra focus on it for the next match. Being a proud pack they will have the tough review as to why it did not go their way.”
Redelinghuys added that the Stormers’ underwhelming performance in the set scrums needs context.
“We played the Bulls the previous week and they are a very tough pack. If you do not get things right you will go backwards.
“But yes the Stormers will have a massive drive to set the record straight. We expect it and we are ready for it.”