Lions ‘on track’ for Super Rugby
15 Feb 2012
John Mitchell says the Lions are making good progress ahead of the upcoming Super Rugby campaign, despite a lack of warm-up matches.
The Lions have been South Africa’s least successful Super Rugby franchise over the last five years. Since their split from the Cats before the 2007 campaign, they have only recorded 14 wins out of 68 matches – which is a winning ratio of 20.6%. They’ve also featured in the bottom three of the overall table every season.
After their surprise Currie Cup triumph in 2011, however, there is a public expectation for an improved showing in Super Rugby this year. But already there are concerns about the readiness of the Lions squad as they’ve only played two warm-up matches – against the Stormers (lost 28-6) and a Border-based Southern Kings outfit (won 88-0). This means they’ve only tested themselves against one side that boasts Super Rugby quality players.
Despite this, head coach John Mitchell believes his team are on track with their preparations ahead of their first match against the Cheetahs in Johannesburg next Saturday.
‘It’s a long season ahead mate,’ Mitchell told keo.co.za. ‘The fact that we’ve only played two warm-up matches doesn’t mean we are underprepared. We have to pace ourselves. The players have been working very hard at training during the pre-season and things are looking good. What we’ve been doing isn’t something I want to reveal, but I can say that conditioning coach Wayne Taylor and the medical team are doing a fantastic job with the guys. There’s still more progress to be made over the next week and a half. When the competition starts, we’ll take things one week at a time.’
The Lions fielded their strongest possible team against a weakened Southern Kings side in George on Tuesday evening, and scored 13 tries in the 88-point hammering as flanker Derick Minnie, wing Deon van Rensburg, flanker Cobus Grobbelaar, flyhalf Elton Jantjies and hooker Callie Visagie grabbed a brace each. With this being their final team trial run, Mitchell said the main objective is to prepare his senior players for next weekend.
‘We ticked all the boxes we wanted to against the Kings,’ said Mitchell. ‘For us, it was irrelevant that the Kings fielded a weakened team. The important thing was our team performance and we did very well. The only setback was our young lock [Ruan Botha] getting injured, but otherwise it was a successful outing.
‘We now turn our focus to managing our senior players for our Super Rugby opener next weekend. Guys like Wikus van Heerden, Franco van der Merwe, CJ van der Linde and Michael Rhodes. They’re not ruled out with injuries, it’s a case of making sure they will be ready for the match against the Cheetahs. That’s the main priority now.’
Mitchell is also positive that his players won’t be affected by the franchise’s current off-field drama. The Lions’ financial woes have been well documented in the media while there is speculation that the Lions will face a South African Super Rugby relegation battle as Sanzar are likely to turn down Saru’s proposal to enter six franchises in 2013.
‘We worked hard to incorporate a close, family environment within the squad last year. So we’ve distanced ourselves from the all the off-field stuff, which is all still speculation. Nothing has been confirmed and nothing is for sure. Those are things we can’t control. We have to focus on the stuff we can control, and that’s the rugby.’
By Gareth Duncan
45 Comments
15 Feb 2012, 12:07 pm
What an awesome coach.
15 Feb 2012, 12:13 pm
This Lions setup is amazing when one considers all the **** happening around them. How teams would have won the CC with so much negativity around them? Most teams would have failed and used all the rubbish as excuses. Not this lot. Bravehearts all of them.
15 Feb 2012, 12:17 pm
This Lions team is going to become HUGE. Mentally they must be unbelievably strong to keep their eyes on their own preparations despite all the negative distractions around them. They are becoming stronger mentally and physically. True champions in the making. Respect!
15 Feb 2012, 12:19 pm
Again this website is doing its best to paint a bleak picture of the Lions chances this year. Am going to pee myself with joy when they start racking up the wins, one after another. What are you going to say then Keo and Kie? You might as well give up now on the retirement package you are hoping to plunder from the King’s coffers with your mate Cheeky Pukeson! Lions and Cheetahs going to do well this year. Will SARU have the gonads to relegate the Bulls, Stormers or Sharks…?
15 Feb 2012, 12:21 pm
It is kind of ridiculous that the richest city in Africa has such a weak S15 team. Hopefully the CC win is a turnaround but they need to do something about Ellis Park as well. Or at least the area around Ellis Park.
Do they have a strong link to Wits/UJ like WP has with Ikeys/Maties?
15 Feb 2012, 12:33 pm
@steblooi-4:
You guys are far too sensitive.
There is nothing “bleak” about this article- it is factual (re the past) and it provided Mitchell with a platform to express his hapiness with the progress made.
You are a fan and Gareth is a reporter– huge difference.
15 Feb 2012, 12:42 pm
TX Mr Duncan for n glimpse at the other side of the coin
15 Feb 2012, 12:44 pm
@Robzim-6: Thank you for that logical judgement.
@canonharry-7: My pleasure sir
15 Feb 2012, 12:49 pm
@Robzim-6: Come on Robbie, the siege mentality is understandable when you consider that nobosy is disputing what gareth has written. all the Lions fans want is for nobody to speak about it like it has been happening for the past 6 years. that the Lions franchise (not GLRU) has a 20.6% win ratio should not be mentioned!
15 Feb 2012, 12:59 pm
@Frik-5:
you could make the same argument for auckland or sydney..?..
15 Feb 2012, 13:03 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-10:
But the Waratahs and Blues have been a lot more successful than the Lions.
15 Feb 2012, 13:07 pm
Gareth, certain other writers here could take note and follow your example. Good article, good writing and it is nice to here some singiths from the coach instead of merely a writer spewing out his opinion as fact in unusual hyperbole. Please write more.
Less Vrede/JC and more Gareth.
15 Feb 2012, 13:08 pm
Well done on stroking each other ego’s guys. The fact is you can write up anything you like with it slanting in the direction you choose. The mere fact that ‘on track’ has been captioned sets the tone for the article, which questions the Lions ability to transfer their curry cup success into super rugby success. However instead of concentrating on the fact that the Lions are coached by a former all black coach, with a full squad now used to his style, the fact that they only lost 3 games in the currie cup, or the fact that they won 3 of their last 5 super rugby games is not mentioned. So my point is that instead of giving the article a slant towards a possible period of higher success for the Lions, as is viewed by many not working for this website, it slants towards a possible continuation of another period of poor success, a viewed shared by this website and thus the article represents more irksome reporting (in my view) as it serves their interest.
15 Feb 2012, 13:19 pm
@super_pippo-11:
fair enough, but they hav’nt been the strongest or most succesfull either. they’re just midtable punters at best even though they are situated in the richest cities in their resective countries. in the case of the waratahs you could argue they are in perhaps one of the top 30 or less richest coutries.
15 Feb 2012, 13:19 pm
@steblooi-13: Currie Cup and Super Rugby are two different competitions. They haven’t achieve anything on the big stage … yet. We will see what happens this season. You don’t celebrate something before it happens.
15 Feb 2012, 13:32 pm
it’s quite simple really…
bulls struggled against the kings…
stormers did marginally better…
lion’s whupped the kings 88 zip…
we’ll see how the sharks do on… friday night is it…?
but lions are serious challengers to be sa conference leaders in the s15…
15 Feb 2012, 13:45 pm
@steblooi-13: The Lions have to first prove they can win consistently at Super level, something they have not done since the days of Laurie Mains (with the Cats) and Christie prior.
15 Feb 2012, 14:07 pm
Fully agree guys, the Lions have to achieve success at Super Level to justify any sort of hype. I am a firm believer this will be the case though – biased it may be as I am obviously a Lions supporter.
@ Gareth – will just have to wait for the positive articles to come then, once the points are on the table!
15 Feb 2012, 14:10 pm
@ufo-16:
with all due respect, thats quite simply kuk logic.
15 Feb 2012, 14:15 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-10: @super_pippo-11: why are you okes going in about “success”? participation in Super rugby is not about how well you do, it’s about how entrenched in the system
15 Feb 2012, 14:30 pm
Often a news channel just has a position on something, and this becomes pervasive in everything they report on. The (current) position of keo.co.za on the Lions is one of negativity – both on the field and in the boardroom. And the reason for this position is not too hard to figure out. Keohane and HSM have a huge vested interest in Watson and the Kings. And while they will claim that this site is impartial and independent from their sports management agency, nothing in real life works that way. So doing whatever it takes to secure the Kings’ future involves doing whatever it takes to remove the most vulnerable opposition. Whether Gareth or Simon or Ryan or John support this view personally is immaterial. They have been sucked into the campaign and they toe the party line. And that is why this site has lost all credibility from a news content perspective. It remains a great social media channel, but this is all down to the participants and not the owners.
15 Feb 2012, 15:13 pm
@Michael-12: ja agreed, those 3 a.pes Keo, JC and Vrede can get a lesson from Gareth D on unbiased reporting.
15 Feb 2012, 15:18 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…-19:
15 Feb 2012, 15:24 pm
I see no mention of the fact the Lions (Transvaal) won the 1st ever super rugby competition…
15 Feb 2012, 15:33 pm
@Transformation-20: why did the Kings reject the notion of playing a promotion relegation match against the last placed SA franchise? Why are they looking for entrenchment? What are they scared of?
15 Feb 2012, 15:44 pm
@ Katman
Couldn’t have said it better. Now watch Mitch turn our currie cup success into something memorable. Can’t wait for next weekend!
15 Feb 2012, 15:48 pm
@RL(RL)-25:
please come in…!
that’s rather obvious…
they’re scared of meeting the lions in the promotion relegation match…!!
15 Feb 2012, 15:50 pm
@ufo(ufo)-27: I was thinking more along the line that they are scared of playing the Stormers.
15 Feb 2012, 16:05 pm
@ufo(ufo)-23:
my apologies.
any logic that puts the lions as serious contenders for leading the sa conference log is kuk logic.
its not you… its the logic..
they will be a lot more competitive this season, sure… but that about it. midtable finish would be a successful campaign.
15 Feb 2012, 16:12 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-29: in the days before Bakkies the Bulls applied kak logic to the letter!
Then came Bakkies ………. and now Bakkies is gone. Methinks that the Bullies will revert to their 2008 form, the year when Bakkies decided to take it easy.
15 Feb 2012, 16:27 pm
@au revoir mon tout noirs, au revoir…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-29:
no need bud… was just joking… with both posts…
sometimes you gotta joke with a straight face – no farkin’ smilies…!!
but in all seriousness… am very pleased the lions are getting the right stuff… good news for them (obviously) but great news for sa rugby too…
15 Feb 2012, 16:31 pm
I will put my money on the Lions more than before comes the Feb 23rd.
Reasons aplenty
It’s 3rd season for Mitchell
Srong FH presence
Rhodes, Minnie and Strauss will hold their own against most
The Locks Dept looks stronger with Roodt
Alwin and Doppie are a soundSuper Rugby centres’ combo
And no ballast weight called Maku to drag them down!
15 Feb 2012, 17:17 pm
With the threat of relegation looming, one can expect some desperate kamikaze stuff from the Lions. Desperation won’t be enough though. They will still lose most of their matches.
15 Feb 2012, 17:41 pm
@RL(RL)-30:
point taken.
gotta farken hate the kuk logic, huh…
@ufo(ufo)-31:
ja for sure, good luck to the lions.
transformation is not pretty, no matter how well intentioned…
15 Feb 2012, 17:47 pm
@kwas(kwas)-33:
some reasoned perspective, thank you very much..
15 Feb 2012, 18:36 pm
@RL(RL)-22: Please do not insult my apes by comparing them with that trio. For one thing, my apes are taller than Keo
15 Feb 2012, 18:37 pm
@Michael-12: Urgh no proof-reading:
“nice to here some singiths from the coach” = “nice to hear some insights from the coach”.
15 Feb 2012, 19:19 pm
@>^..^< katman-21: One of Keo’s earlier tweets basically said that the Lions have to go.
Just like that.
I suppose things look simpler from down there.
15 Feb 2012, 20:52 pm
@stormersboy(stormersboy)-38: He sees himself as some kind of thought leader. Even a kingmaker, if you’ll excuse the somewhat inappropriate turn of phrase. What a wally.
15 Feb 2012, 21:42 pm
@doc.(doc.)-24: 1. Doc thanks for reminding everyone of that super title, people tend to forget, plus a CC in 2011, compared to Stormers?
2. I’ve compared the last few
articles on the lions and that other 365 rugby site, guess which offers the best read? Its called framing when you tell a story from your perspective, no such thing as being impartial in the media.
3. Lions supporters are not expecting them to win the S15 or even the SA conference, even Kevin de Klerk himself stated that a mid table finish would be sufficient.
15 Feb 2012, 22:22 pm
What I don’t get is everyone saying that the CC and S15 are entirely different competitions… because of 4 or 5 players missing in a team of 22?
The Lions whooped WP in the semi, a WP side that looked stronger than what they have at present in the Stormers camp and then went on to thoroughly whoop the Sharks, who played with largely the same team that will play in S15.
The Springboks made up a small part of the CC teams really and returning Springboks know their CC side’s respective systems and have played with the other players many times.
So to say the Shark and WP’s CC sides from the final and semi are a lot weaker than their S15 sides is crazy!
Lions are, for the first time in FOREVER, going to be quite a handful this year.
15 Feb 2012, 22:27 pm
I cant believe all this negative banter from the journo’s and some bloggers?
Everyone says that the Lions are unsuccessful in super rugby, which is true, but what success has the Stormers/Sharks/Cheeteahs or Bulls had NOTHING!!!(Except Bulls has at leat won it twice, but in how many attemps.)
They got nothing to show for their efforts, nada F0kkol!!
In my eyes are all the SA Teams poor in the S15, so why hammer on the Lions? The Lions are 1 step away from winning the SA Conference.
I will be extremely happy if the Lions manage a top 8 finish.
15 Feb 2012, 22:31 pm
@lepel(lepel)-41: I agree
I think its for this reason the the Lions supporters get this much kak from the others, because they wont admit that the Lions know how to beat the other SA teams. If they fall against the Lions their campaigns are over!
16 Feb 2012, 01:13 am
Finishing in the top 10 – a minimum (then they certainly won’t be last in SA).
Finishing in the top 8 – ok, nice quiet progress.
Finishing in the top 6 – a bonus, very well done.
18 Feb 2012, 10:11 am
“suprise cc win?”. Keo, you have bugger all credibelity in my view. In my view those who believe your views are accurate reflection of reality are like grade 1 school kids who believe their teachers know everything. What a friggen joke. Look at what the aharks managed to do after the first cc win in ages. They stood up like a phoenix and became a force in SA and world rugby. I don’t know why I bother reading the **** on this site.
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