It is no secret that if watchers of the Super 14 had to pick a player from any of the teams who have had a nightmare season not a few would circle the name of Earl Rose. How he managed to survive 7 matches is a miracle, but the gloved one has been given enough rope it seems and Muir has banished him along with other non-performers to Vodacom rugby. Will this make any difference when the Lions face the organized Reds this weekend?
Nobody likes to see an accident take place which is what it has looked liked week in and week out when the Lions have taken the field this year yet there will be plenty of Stormers and Sharks fans rooting for a Lions win, which would definitely keep the contest nice and tight at the top of the log. Yet could it ever happen?
For me I simply can’t see it happening as much as I would like to see an upset from the Lions they just don’t look like a side capable of competing. Admittedly they are back at home but Coca Cola park has not been a very comfortable place for them in the recent past and with an 80% empty stadium, will that really give them such an advantage? I think not. Another point is that the Sharks only just managed to squeak home with a win against a Reds side that has some great runners and matched a resurrected Sharks side in every department. I honestly can’t see the Lions stopping a rampant Quade Cooper from running a mock.
One factor that the Lions do have going for them is the return of World Cup winner Wikus van Heerden who has returned home to help out. So much pressure for the stalwart as the Lions fans begin to look to him as their savior and the player that will ignite a major turnaround. Add to the mix the long overdue return of Marius Delport, who should have been in the team from the start, as well as prop Gert Muller and the Lions start to look like a slightly different proposition. But winners? Not on your life.
Red’s Coach Ewen McKenzie, as diplomatic as ever describe the Lions as a “complicated challenge because they have got some very creative attackers.” And he is right, few teams come close to how much yardage they use up running with the ball and they have been able to score some spectacular tries. Oh but that defense can make you cry!
A defense as porous as Swiss cheese just can’t be rectified overnight no matter how many tackle bags have their stuffing hammered out of them during practice. They have hemorrhaged an average of 45 points every game so far, more than any other team in the history of the Super 14. For that to suddenly change I believe is just too much to expect of a team that is low on points, low on confidence and low on the log.
Prediction: I can see the Lions holding on for the first 20 minutes as they play with the fumes of the locker room pep talk, but after that the floodgates will open. Reds winning this one by 15 or more.
Teams: TBA
