Winning must define Mitch’s mongrels
3 Feb 2012
MARK KEOHANE, writing in SA Rugby magazine, says it’s time for the Lions to deliver in Super Rugby.
John Mitchell’s Lions deserved their 2011 Currie Cup success, but it is their 2012 Super Rugby campaign that will prove more telling. And it has to be a results-driven one.
Putting in good performances is no longer good enough. Playing good rugby is also not good enough. Winning in 2012 is what has to define the Lions.
Mitchell’s mongrels (said with great affection) are no longer a young squad. This will be their fourth tournament campaign with Mitchell and for all the heroics of their domestic high, the road to the play-offs was made easier because of the World Cup. The Lions, it cannot be ignored, were not affected by national call-ups. There was no disruption from the Super Rugby tournament into the Currie Cup. No other team had such a luxury.
Mitchell’s side struggled in Super Rugby in 2011 because of poor decision-making, inexperience and an inability to translate good intentions into victories.
For every good performance there was the converse a week later. Many of the results were defeats by less than seven points, but that should never be the measurement of a team with any aspiration. To win you only need one more point than your opponent. Those who beat the Lions may feel they won with something to spare.
Lions president Kevin de Klerk has spoken glowingly of Mitchell and his influence at the union. De Klerk said he never stopped believing in the New Zealander and never doubted for a moment that he could transform a team – mocked as circus Lions – into something a bit more intimidating.
The euphoria among the Lions players, management, administration and supporters was understandable after the Currie Cup final win against the Sharks. But the reality of the Lions is that until they deliver a winning Super Rugby season little will have changed.
I am not suggesting they have to win the tournament, but the expectation has to be a top-six – and play-off – finish. The Currie Cup is a feeder competition to Super Rugby. The strength of a team is what they do in Super Rugby and not the Currie Cup.
There is no escaping this reality and the only way to give the Currie Cup success of 2011 credibility is for those same players to win more than they lose against Australia, New Zealand and South Africa’s best. This will also be an important season for Mitchell, who has a reputation for being able to fix a team but not always deliver champions.
I don’t think the Lions have a good enough squad to win the Super Rugby title, so it would be unfair to demand of Mitchell to add it to their Currie Cup crown, but if the hype of dominating a watered down Currie Cup tournament is to be accepted as an accurate reflection of their strength, they can’t be excused a season in which they finish in the bottom three and claim the odd victory.
The Lions in 2011 were the good-news story of South African rugby, more so because it allowed everyone to forget the Springboks’ Tri-Nations and World Cup disasters, in which the Boks finished last in the former and equalled their worst-ever performance at the latter.
The Lions can’t afford to be an illusion similar to the Boks of 2011. There has been no internal analysis of where the Boks went wrong in 2011. There has simply been a collective belief that the Boks were done a dirty by a New Zealand referee.
There has to be a bit more realism attached to the story of the Lions and there are still questions that have to be answered. We’ll get that in the 2012 Super Rugby tournament.
What we will also get is the return of the Bulls. I’m backing them to be the South African team to beat, which doesn’t excuse the Lions finishing outside the top six.
– This column first appeared in the Jan-Feb issue of SA Rugby magazine. The March issue is on sale from 15 February. Click here to subscribe to the print or digital edition.
127 Comments
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3 Feb 2012, 15:24 pm
@XhosaKid-50:
Good point.
I think they can still get some value from CJ van der Linde… not many quality tightheads in South Africa, and when he’s near his best he’s far and away the best in the country.
The rest have got no hope. Sad for Taute, but again, he doesn’t play Heyneke Meyer type rugby. He’ll need to switch to centre if he wants a hope of playing Bok rugby IMO.
3 Feb 2012, 15:28 pm
I think it would be extremely unfair on the Lions and Cheetahs if any one of these sides were to be left out of this competition because another team is being brought in to appease who ever, they did not win the competition the were playing in last year, what are they bring that the other teams do not have.
Also what happens to all the players that are contracted to these unions and I am sure these unions also have other financial obligations that they have signed, does every thing just become null and void, and it was a stupid move making the announcement before talking to our sanzar partners when they have not agreed on it yet, frankly I think it makes us look like we have a sense of entitlement.
3 Feb 2012, 15:34 pm
I must be honest.
I think they are seriously counting on the Lions going under. They are getting the Guma group to do their dirty work for them.
Torpedoing the Lions in court, rather than on the playing field.
3 Feb 2012, 15:35 pm
@Tacitus-53:
Aren’t you always honest
3 Feb 2012, 15:37 pm
He was like this when the Bulls cleaned his preciousness pipes at Orlando stadium 2 years ago.
3 Feb 2012, 15:38 pm
@Dawn-54:
Hehe.
3 Feb 2012, 15:39 pm
@Tacitus-53: Devious, well I hope the Iions pull through, they have been around a long time and have contributed a lot to our game over the years.
3 Feb 2012, 15:40 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther-55:
Who was like what?
3 Feb 2012, 15:44 pm
Tac are you saying that Gummy Bear is an agent of Saru?
Or maybe Government has offered to forgive him for the clusterfucksodomyfestival that was his attempt at a database for home affairs?
We won’t sue you for billions of Gunther’s hard earned tax rands if you give the lions one between the eyes?
What price the broederbond now?
3 Feb 2012, 15:47 pm
@Tacitus-53:
It’s a possibility many believe in, however J’burg is the biggest economic metropolitan in SA, its wealth and might cannot be taken away and replaced by the economically stagnant PE that easily.
They’ll have to take care of Jonker and Joubert, who in all likelyhood might be entrusted by SARU to bring down the Lions, maybe by pulling Piety v Zyl out of retirement?
And they have the altitude and the scary Ellis Park on their side vs the overseas teams!
3 Feb 2012, 15:47 pm
@Dawn-54: no he is Franky Two-Fingers but today he is trying to switch it up and be Honest.
we don’t believe him.
3 Feb 2012, 15:51 pm
Xhosepipe
3 Feb 2012, 15:52 pm
@Hondo-60: read carefully on the other page, the Lions, even in so-called economic capital of SA have been a financial failure and you can’t blame that on black people unfortunately
they haven’t paid their franchise partners close to R6 million, is that SARU’s fault?
3 Feb 2012, 15:54 pm
@Tacitus-53:
One of the major arguments against the Kings has been that their administration and finances were in a mess. For the last few years any rating agency would have relegated the Lions to junk bond status as well.
Let’s face it, when the Lions bid for a franchise it also included a financial motivation as well and projections that have proven hopelessly misguided. In other words, they haven’t delivered on what they originally promised in order to get the Franchise.
I doubt whether the down hill slope they’re on will stop without a significant amount of recapitalisation. As it stands, their top young players, as in the past, will continue to be siphoned off the more successful and wealthier unions
I’ve got nothing against the Lions, but including them in a new franchise with the Bulls under a new joint identity, would be the best for SA rugby.
3 Feb 2012, 15:56 pm
@Treehugger-57:
They’ve been around for all of 6 years. Don’t confuse the Lions Franchise with the GLRU.
3 Feb 2012, 15:57 pm
@Hondo-60:
Look, I’ve been meaning to ask for some time, but never got around to it.
Ignoring all your other issues, what the heck is your issue with Joubert and Kaplan and Jonker and Lawerence and add random referee in this space?
You are like Grant with his Smittie fixation, only you don’t have a tenth the justification he had for his tirades.
3 Feb 2012, 16:01 pm
@David-65: Oh, didnt know that, so if the one goes will the main Lions thingie still stay.
3 Feb 2012, 16:07 pm
@Treehugger-67:
Yes, the Lions CC side still plays as a union. All the franchises are just a collection of different unions.
3 Feb 2012, 16:09 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther-62:
Don’t you understand that Hondo blames the worlds economic collapse and global warming on black people?
3 Feb 2012, 16:11 pm
@David-68: In theory only. In reality it’s one and the same. The only team that operated like that in practice is the Cheetahs.
3 Feb 2012, 16:11 pm
@Tacitus-66:
No in-fighting amongst the brothers please
3 Feb 2012, 16:12 pm
@Dawn-71:
?
3 Feb 2012, 16:13 pm
Elton Jantjies is the Higgs Boson of Lions rugby. Without him they don’t exist. The Lions will have to play a few a games without him and in that respect they will need to ensure that they at least pick up a few bonus points in those guaranteed defeats. I can’t see any other player in the world matching him this season… not even DC
If the Lions do get relegated this year then the Kings should see EJ as their most critical buy.
3 Feb 2012, 16:15 pm
@Tacitus-72:
Never mind
What with Mitch’s Mongrels.
Howveryfuckingrude
3 Feb 2012, 16:17 pm
@stormersboy-70:
I know, and that’s the problem. because of SARUs subsidy to the unions for having players in a franchise, it pays the major CC union to sign those players from the smaller unions rather than just include them in the Franchise squad.
3 Feb 2012, 16:20 pm
Post 52′s parents should demand their school fees back….gibberish at it’s best.
3 Feb 2012, 16:21 pm
@David-68: Ta.
3 Feb 2012, 16:22 pm
@allblacksaregods-76:
Howzit Pops / Panther
3 Feb 2012, 16:22 pm
Stop bashing the lions!leave our 5 points alone.
3 Feb 2012, 16:24 pm
@Tacitus-66:
Only Joubert and Jonker, Joubert was sanctioned by SANZAR last year for bending the results against the Bulls
Kaplan and Lawrence are fine, never said a word regarding their integrity, it usually the Tapa Hennings, the Jonkers, the Jouberts, the Bezeidenhuts (1976) who bent results
3 Feb 2012, 16:24 pm
@allblacksaregods-79: lol nasty !
3 Feb 2012, 16:26 pm
@David-75: Spot on.
3 Feb 2012, 16:29 pm
Post 60 sounds like an over-excited teenager.stop with the masturbating sonny!
3 Feb 2012, 16:32 pm
@Hondo-80:
Get rid of that tinfoil hat, Mulder.
3 Feb 2012, 16:34 pm
Langers and Hondo.
Brothers from another mother.
3 Feb 2012, 16:44 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther-85: I have never agreed with hondo on anything but……. @Hondo-80: A broken clock……
3 Feb 2012, 16:49 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther-85:
But the same father…
3 Feb 2012, 16:51 pm
Divvy not happy with lack oe EXIT plan
Former Springbok coach Peter de Villiers says he will share his views on his previous employers, the SA Rugby Union (Saru), on the “correct platform” when the time is right.
This came after he criticised Saru in an radio interview for not being transparent with him as far as his future in the organisation was concerned.
“There was no exit strategy for me,” said De Villiers.
“There wasn’t one for John (Smit) or Victor (Matfield). This is what caused me some bitterness in the fact that there was nothing. We didn’t talk about anything,” he told 702.
De Villiers was, however, surprised with the words of encouragement he received from callers who thanked him for the contribution he had made to rugby.
As a man who is used to being on the receiving end of criticism relating to his World Cup game plan and sometimes controversial public comments, it became apparent that although he might not have won over the minds of all rugby fans, he succeeded in winning over many hearts. In classic De Villiers style, he was quick to backtrack in a later interview yesterday from his morning’s hard line on radio.
“I’ve said what I said, and to be honest I don’t think this is the platform or time for me to get involved in a word war with Saru. It would not be fair of me to do that and I will just have to wait and see what the future holds.”
As disgruntled as he is, he also had words of encouragement for his successor Heyneke Meyer.
“Every guy needs his time in the sun; we mustn’t judge Heyneke on what he says now.”
3 Feb 2012, 16:52 pm
@stormersboy-82:
Actually, it’s only the Stormers who have a different name for the Franchise. SARU should have insisted on each franchise having a seperate identity to their major union.
3 Feb 2012, 16:56 pm
i don’t know what “exit plan” divvy wanted, when your contract is done you pick up your stuff and you bugger off…no party, no drinks you just leave!
3 Feb 2012, 17:00 pm
@David-89: Sure. In a way the Bulls do, they call themselves the Bulls for Super Rugby and the Blue Bulls for CC
3 Feb 2012, 17:20 pm
@Transformation-90: Yep there was no exit plan but a fairly rigorous entry plan which was kept secret in respect of HM… I suppose the whites only queue still exists and there are no hoops to jump through.
3 Feb 2012, 17:25 pm
@bryce_in_oz-87: I see transie changed your name to Bryce_in_ARSE.. translated into Afrikaans.. Braais Binnegat.. next time you need to change your nic ??
3 Feb 2012, 17:27 pm
@Transformation-90:
The ticker-tape parade, double-decker bus and streets lined with fans Jake White got?
There’s a longer version of the above though and one cannot half feel a tad sorry for the guy… for a minute…
3 Feb 2012, 17:36 pm
I hear Divvy has a book coming out in June i think. Should be ver ver ver interesting and entertaining.
3 Feb 2012, 17:50 pm
The convicts won’t be experiencing ticker-tape parades for a very longgggggg time.they will need to re-invoke the spirit of Ned Kelly again to fire their convict arses up again.
3 Feb 2012, 18:17 pm
@Dawn-78:
I dont think so….. looks more like some illiterate hick that got thrown off Silverfern
3 Feb 2012, 18:24 pm
@youknowwho-73: youknowwhat you are right – EJ is the Higgs Boson and without him they are basically the equivalent to an impotent Stormers team.
3 Feb 2012, 18:29 pm
@RL-98: If only the Lions were as impotant as the Stormers they might experience a Super semi for the first time in living memory.
3 Feb 2012, 18:41 pm
@Michael-99:
Eish! You remind me of JZ … he was being interviewed by a reporter just after he became president and was asked the question “how does it feel to be important”
He replied saying “Madam, I am not impotent. I have four wives and 26 children”
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