- While the Covid-19 pandemic robbed them of two further key players, the downtime has allowed the Lions to take stock.
- Alwyn Hollenbach, a key Lions member during their revival period from 2013, provide interesting lessons the current vintage can apply from that period.
- Backing youngsters and believing in their core culture could serve the men from Ellis Park well, but their playing template needs to be adapted.
The suspension of professional rugby has been a proverbial double-edged sword for the Lions.
Covid-19 hit them pretty hard in terms of the 21-day opt-out transfer window, with star Springbok hooker Malcolm Marx opting to pack his bags for Japan along with influential backs coach Neil de Bruin and a supposedly integral figure for the future, Tyrone Green, moving to England.
Yet the pandemic, despite its obvious financial ramifications, couldn’t have come at a more opportune time for a franchise that – after five losses from six starts in the Super Rugby campaign – seemed spooked and even paralysed by the extent of the transition it found itself in.
Alwyn Hollenbach, a former stalwart midfielder in the red-and-white and key member of the Lions’ resurrection under Johan Ackermann and Swys de Bruin, subscribes to that view too.
“With all due respect, I believe corona has been a blessing in disguise for the team,” he told Sport24.
“When the season started, there were simply too many accomplished players that left. Everybody was aware of it, but I still think the effect of that was underestimated a bit. By the time Super Rugby was suspended, it really wasn’t going well with the team. This period has been an ideal time to regroup.”
Hollenbach certainly has a point.
At a season launch back in January, the franchise chairman and majority shareholder, Altmann Allers, aimed big in terms of his ambitions for the class of 2020, but there was also a tone of defiance.
It was almost as if the business heavyweight was trying to cushion the franchise against reality.
“Do we just want to compete‚ or do we want to win it?” Allers said at the time.
“That is what the Lions are setting out to do. It is a tall order. We have a relatively young team and a young coach and management team. We are not going to use those words if we are not successful. We will keep on trying until we’ve won that trophy. We haven’t held that trophy yet.
“I hope these aren’t just empty words but that we can look back at the end of the season at that day in January when the Lions told you we mean business.”
By the time the players went into voluntary self-isolation upon their return from New Zealand, a mere 109 points (and 14 tries) had been scored while a meaty 200 (and 27 tries) were conceded.
“It’s been good to hear that the coaching staff have said that they’re working out new plans and strategies,” said Hollenbach.
The 34-year-old former SA Schools fullback, who won Currie Cups with the Cheetahs and Lions before a premature retirement in 2016, has some interesting insights on what those plans might have to be.
After all, he was slap-bang in the thick of things when the Lions were at their lowest ebb at the end of 2012, relegated from Super Rugby, but also celebrated a magnificent recovery.
Don’t assume the template of 2015-2018 will work in 2020
To head coach Cash van Rooyen’s credit, he’s never made statements or given the impression that the Lions are still trying to ride on the successes of Ackermann and De Bruin.
But there was on-field evidence that the men from Ellis Park still stuck to attacking tactics that didn’t fit the personnel at their disposal.
The thrilling attacking pattern the Lions were known for on their way to three consecutive finals can’t be replicated with an under-powered pack, especially the loose trio when Willem Alberts is not around.
“It’s important for the coaches to formulate strategies that are going to work for this group. What worked during that great period between 2015 and 2019 won’t necessarily be applicable in 2020,” said Hollenbach.
“Lockdown might be frustrating in general, but for coaches I believe it really allows for deep introspection and is a good time to really critically examine what needs to be done.
“In 2013, we also lost a host of players and quickly realised one had to make adjustments. Not all playing groups can play the same type of game. Keep your core culture, but follow a different recipe. Opponents nowadays also know exactly what to expect from the Lions in terms of tactics. Adjustments need to be made.”
Back the youngsters
No-one denies the value of experience, which is why the recruitment of Jannie du Plessis and Willem Alberts and the retention of captain Elton Jantjies was welcomed.
The return of Jaco Kriel also has the makings of being very shrewd.
Yet, one of the cornerstones of the Lions’ approach to staying successful during their fruitful period was contracting some of the best junior players in the country.
Hacjivah Dayimani, Wandi Simelane, Manny Rass, Gianni Lombard, Carlu Sadie, Len Massyn, Nathan McBeth, Reinhard Nothnagel and James Mollentze all boast excellent pedigrees at age-group level and are now primed to make their mark at senior level.
Frankly, that group is arguably far more talented than the rookies the Lions had to mould seven years ago.
“Ackers handled that process brilliantly,” said Hollenbach.
“He had full faith in his core group of seniors, but complemented that by supporting the youngsters all the way. Franco Mostert and Jaco were laaities, Elton’s career was still in its early phase. They were backed, became the cornerstone of the team a few years later and are now Springboks.
“There’s an opportunity here to follow a similar path – creating key players and Springboks from within the system.”
Believe that things WILL get better
“You have to keep on believing and you have to stand together. One can only go up again.”
Hollenbach’s words might sound cliched, but there’s justification for it when one considers that the Lions of 2013 had a fairly early opportunity to make a significant step upwards again.
They had initially planned to keep their best players match fit by organising a “Challenge Series” against teams like Russia, Samoa and France’s Grenoble.
But logistics proved challenging, with a tour to the US cancelled.
As a result, the Lions were forced to invest all their energy into the unfashionable Vodacom Cup, which they went on to win and, in hindsight, proved far more valuable in landing the Southern Kings a psychological blow in that year’s Super Rugby promotion-relegation playoff.
Similarly, the proposed domestic Super Rugby tournament for August onward could prove an ideal environment for the Lions to find their feet again under relatively less pressure.
“2021 will be better, specifically because there would’ve been time to make adjustments. It’s always tough being in the dark hole. But the players just need to believe. It won’t just happen on its own, they’ll have to make it happen, (whether it’s in a domestic Super Rugby competition or Currie Cup),” said Hollenbach.
“I know the coaches very well. They definitely have the skills to turn things around. If the mindset is right, one can go far. I’m looking forward to the turnaround.”
