Saders sink brainless Lions
31 Mar 2012
RYAN VREDE reports on the Crusaders’ 23-13 victory over a tactically naive Lions at Ellis Park.
Yet another loss where the Lions played what they deem beautiful rugby. Their supporters will settle for an ugly, deformed or downright hideous win right now.
The excuse about injuries doesn’t wash. Every team has injuries. Their problems are rooted in coach John Mitchell’s refusal to relinquish a misplaced belief in a fundamentally flawed game plan. The Lions continue to play a brand of rugby too heavily weighted to the expansive. It lacks the balance needed to make them a consistently threatening side.
The Saders were uncharacteristically porous on defence in the first half (missed 10 tackles and lacked the physicality at the gainline that has traditionally been the bedrock of their success). Yet for all their possession and territory the Lions led by just three points (13-10) at the break. They will point to missed opportunities that could have extended their lead, but those sorts of errors have become chronic.
The Saders scored with one of their first opportunities in the half, Dan Carter expertly picking out Zac Guilford’s run on his inside shoulder. It was an ominous warning for the hosts, who despite scoring a converted try just before the break, had exhibited little to inspire.
The Saders started brilliantly after the break, Sean Maitland collecting the most sublime grubber from Israel Dagg to score. Tom Taylor converted and kicked two penalties thereafter to give his side a 10-point lead.
Still the Lions had the ascendancy in the territory and possession stakes and were forcing the visitors into a plethora of tackles. But there was a marked sense of composure on defence from the seven-time champs, who committed few to the breakdown and around the ruck fringe, safe in the knowledge that the Lions would not seek to punch up close through phases.
The Lions became increasingly cavalier as their desperation grew and this suited the Saders, who isolated runners and kept their breakdown turnover count ticking over. The Lions never looked like winning. They simply didn’t have the tactical capacity for it.
Expect Mitchell to point once more to his injury list and speak of this loss as a lesson. Bullshit. He needs to be accountable for what promises to be yet another disastrous Super Rugby campaign under his watch.
369 Comments
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31 Mar 2012, 18:08 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-41: mine too but we bought a package deal and i like biz playing in durbs.
guildford looks like he reached into a paint tin aftwr dropping some cash in by mistake.
he mustve been on the pi s s and had his directions home painted on in case someone found him on the side of the road.
31 Mar 2012, 18:08 pm
Vok.
31 Mar 2012, 18:08 pm
Boys all go round to gunther’s and get a load of Tara!!!!!
31 Mar 2012, 18:11 pm
@cab(cab)-44: yes this is true, so its like an exchange program.
there are natal boys playing at most unions and vice versa.
31 Mar 2012, 18:12 pm
ag cmon leeus!
31 Mar 2012, 18:14 pm
uh oh, looks like a few capesaders managed to stowaway on a goods train to jhb.
31 Mar 2012, 18:15 pm
No no no dawnie.
I shun publicity.
Besides my mother thinks I sweep the floors at Mavericks.
Tara is there to work.
Not for chaffing.
31 Mar 2012, 18:15 pm
@Dawn, get a load ON Tara?
31 Mar 2012, 18:15 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-54:
i think cilliers has come on a long way under mitchell, but he has also got a very big heart, he’s more than standing up to wyatt crockett in the scrum, and he’s probably the most mobile TH in the game – but probably too unusual for the bok selectors who will go for a bigger flabbier version of mediocrity.
31 Mar 2012, 18:15 pm
Joburg Spanish?
31 Mar 2012, 18:17 pm
ag no hollebach and taute, might as well wrap it up.
i cant actually believe the curent injury toll, it must be like a whole team.
just compare the lions team and crusaders team on paper and tell me how the hell they even still in this game..
31 Mar 2012, 18:19 pm
Good close game this
31 Mar 2012, 18:20 pm
Sorry slappes not up on Fern language!
Did you know he has a small wanger with lice?
31 Mar 2012, 18:20 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-54:
How many Natal guys are there in the current Sharks team?
31 Mar 2012, 18:21 pm
@cab(cab)-59: well lets see, he is strong as an ox, thats for sure.
crusaders flirting with a yellow here.
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-60: could be but they could be refugees from the cape (the type who couldnt cut it in an equal opportunity society)
31 Mar 2012, 18:21 pm
Ranger they must be kiwis rather than cape crusaders.
They’ve paid for their drinks rather than smuggling them in.
31 Mar 2012, 18:22 pm
i can predict another near win for the lions, but you dont get any log points for those
31 Mar 2012, 18:22 pm
martin bezuidenhout very good, dunno why hes not starting.
31 Mar 2012, 18:26 pm
@namLion(14261774)-67:
One.
31 Mar 2012, 18:29 pm
@David(David)-64: they are ALL natal guys david, we dont discriminate based on where they were unlucky enough to be born.
but i know of at least two natal boys in the stormers team
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-66: they sell booze at ellis? dangerous.
31 Mar 2012, 18:30 pm
A bit too much daylight starting to develop in the score.
31 Mar 2012, 18:30 pm
She wasn’t a Kiwi, she was good looking.
31 Mar 2012, 18:31 pm
Yay.
We buy our booze legit.
31 Mar 2012, 18:31 pm
@David(David)-69: are you looking for an argument davie?
“look how CAPISH our CAPE team is (backslap backslap backslap!)”
is that your thing?
31 Mar 2012, 18:33 pm
Shame if you have brave the streets of Joburg the least they can do is serve you some booze when you get there.
31 Mar 2012, 18:35 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-74:
I did an exercise on this last weekend, pointed out just where all the Stormer players are from. Quite a few hail from elsewhere.
But I was told by Skop that a guy like Liebenberg who played Super rugby for the Cheetahs is apparently a Cape boy. But Alberts who played for the Lions is a “mercenary” at the Sharks
It truly doesn’t matter but some in the Cape cling onto this topic like it’s a life and death matter.
31 Mar 2012, 18:37 pm
@the artist formerly known as gunther(gunther)-75: fair enough, cant argue with that.
31 Mar 2012, 18:37 pm
And lots of it.
31 Mar 2012, 18:38 pm
That was close to game over. Guildford fails to pick out the giant moustache running next to him.
31 Mar 2012, 18:38 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-76:
Ranger brought it up.
31 Mar 2012, 18:40 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-76:
Ag don’t pick on the Capies Spooner, it’s trotted out by supporters of every team now and again.
Anyhoo, players go where they get paid most or looked after well. The amateur days are looooong gone and so should this topic of conversation.
31 Mar 2012, 18:40 pm
Kaplan got that wrong.
31 Mar 2012, 18:40 pm
bladen is right that binding law is a load of ****.
31 Mar 2012, 18:40 pm
I hate these scrum penalties. 50/50 calls all of them.
31 Mar 2012, 18:41 pm
@wooden spoon(wooden spoon)-76: haha, its got to do with a recent lack of success imo.
i was making a joke earlier about the natal boys playing at the lions and david clearly found it quite disturbing.
i will make a note and try to avoid the topic when the bullet is around in future.
p.s. someone yesterday claimed cliffie brown went to the bulls for cash AFTER he had done national service.
whattaloadoftoss. he was conscripted.
like so many of our young men of the rolling green hills.
31 Mar 2012, 18:42 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-81: I’m happy to agree with a Capie this time
31 Mar 2012, 18:42 pm
@chch(chch)-79:
that bugger with the tache looks dodgy, crotty?
31 Mar 2012, 18:42 pm
@David(David)-80: haha, it was a joke toppie, but it clearly got your goat(ee)
31 Mar 2012, 18:43 pm
Minnie has been poor, he’s been dominated in the tackle + lost it 2 or 3 times in the tackle + given away many penalties…
31 Mar 2012, 18:43 pm
Saders scrum now dominating with cilliers off..
31 Mar 2012, 18:44 pm
@JockBok(JockBok)-81: haha, the voice of reason.
i will find another topic to joke about in future.
31 Mar 2012, 18:46 pm
Fruean looks like a baby BA Baracus.
Fool.
31 Mar 2012, 18:46 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-91:
We get enough schit with the ABs supporters down here. Give us a break man ffs
31 Mar 2012, 18:48 pm
I am dreading skop appearance after the stormers game
Woes it will be
31 Mar 2012, 18:50 pm
The lions have worse hands than a hormone-stricken teenager on his first date.
31 Mar 2012, 18:50 pm
Cheetahs deserve the point
31 Mar 2012, 18:51 pm
@cab(cab)-87:
Yes Crotty
31 Mar 2012, 18:52 pm
Balls. Deserved the bp Lions on the first half alone.
31 Mar 2012, 18:53 pm
@rangerman(rangerman)-88:
Not at all. I was just having a bit of a dig.
31 Mar 2012, 18:53 pm
Butch James is a k.nob.
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