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Darrien Landsberg (Gallo Images)
- Arguably, the Pumas did the Lions a favor on Saturday by alerting them to some problems with their set pieces before the Bulls clash.
- Former age group star Leon Darrien Landsberg played a significant role in his former team’s discomfort, delivering an excellent performance.
- While the Lions tried to experiment with a little less structure in their game, the narrow result means they will likely be more conservative at Loftus.
Given that they face a team that oozes power in set pieces, Lions are concerned about their struggles in those areas against Pumas in Nelspruit on Saturday.
Ivan van Rooyen’s troops secured their place in the Currie Cup semifinals with a nervous 33-25 win, but need a win over the table-leading Bulls at Loftus on Wednesday afternoon to be in position for a playoff at home.
That goal would be very difficult if they can’t shoot scrums and line-outs.
Head coach Van Rooyen, however, also praised the efforts of his former age-group star Darrien Landsberg, who was excellent for the Pumas in the second row.
The 22-year-old utility forward moved to the Lowveld during the lockdown after being investigated extensively by Pumas rugby director Jimmy Stonehouse.
“We are very familiar with Darrien and he also knows our system quite well for obvious reasons,” Van Rooyen said.
“(Cougars lazy) Morgan Naude has had an excellent season too, so we were definitely ready for a great set-piece. I’m very happy for Darrien, it was a good play for him.
“That being said, we have maintained all the time that we believe that set pieces are one of our strengths, so we will definitely have to take a good look at things.”
While Van Rooyen joked that he will try to “maintain a 50/50 ratio between the positives and negatives of the game, even if there were more negatives,” he was still happy that the Lions who got a dubious performance now rather than when the stakes are higher.
“We are very proud of the victory and the character we displayed, but a little disappointed with the performance itself,” he said.
“The Pumas did very well to constantly interrupt our rhythm. It was a good occasion to try to be a little ‘abnormal’ and try different things in terms of our style of play.”
But that adventurous streak will likely be tempered against their neighbors across Jukskei – not that the Ellis Park faithful care too much, as the Lions have been quite powerful in taking a more balanced approach this season.
“If things were a little different, we might have considered changing the Bulls’ plan, but I think this result will force us to be a little more conservative,” Van Rooyen said.
“Hopefully we can tire the Bulls enough for the Pumas to attack them next weekend.”
