The Lions have set up a top of the table clash with Leinster in Dublin next weekend after they continued their winning start to the United Rugby Championship (URC) against Zebre yesterday.
They eked out a 10-9 win in atrocious conditions in Parma and immediately turned their attention to arguably their biggest game yet in the URC.
Head coach Ivan van Rooyen is embracing the challenge. “Next week will be a totally different challenge. A different tempo, different running options and running lines, as well as rush defence. We know Jacques (Nienaber, the former Springbok coach) is there. They have been going really well. It will be a totally new challenge for us and we are excited.”
The win in Italy will be a confidence builder for the Lions after earlier successes against Ulster, Edinburgh and the Dragons.
Van Rooyen, who last season saw his team narrowly miss out on a place in the quarterfinals, has been impressed with his team’s progress this season. He knows they’ll have to take it a notch up against Leinster. “It is important for us to hold on to what is working for us. Keep on working on the small things,” he said.
“It is going to be exciting, and I think it will be the first time we play Leinster’s real A-team, and playing at the Aviva. We know how proud they are there. It is a big opportunity and a big week for us. A lot of focus will go onto us and what we need to do.”
They earned the right to the top of the table clash after a real arm wrestle against Zebre. The conditions were challenging and the visitors could not hit their attacking stride, which greatly contributed to the visitors’ staying in the contest.
After Zebre flyhalf Giovanni Montemauri kicked his third penalty in the 46th minute, the scoring dried up. The hosts, however, laid siege to Lions territory as the match progressed. The visitors were particularly under the cosh in the last 10 minutes — and there were times they invited pressure onto themselves with needless penalties and poor tactical kicking.
Their defensive sets, however, helped them to a fourth straight win.
Meanwhile, the Bulls will again contest a red card issued against their players after they suffered their first defeat of the campaign to the Scarlets in Llanelli on Friday evening. The Bulls went down 23-22 to halt their winning run, but it was the red card to hooker Johan Grobbelaar for a high tackle on home prop Marnus van der Merwe in the 67th minute that invoked the ire of coach Jake White.
Last weekend in their 29-19 win over the Ospreys, David Kriel was shown a red card which was later rescinded in a disciplinary hearing. “The bottom line is that I don’t think that was a red card,” said White.
“I think there were circumstances, which I am not going to share with you. If it’s malicious, off the ball and it’s genuinely a red card, then we must never take that away from rugby. There is no place in rugby for that.
“The red card was put there for that exact reason because it’s dirty and malicious and premeditated. The red card wasn’t put in place for rugby incidents to take place. If we say it’s a rugby incident, then it becomes very different to the outcome. If you start by asking if it was foul play, which is the way that it’s done, then you are going to get a different outcome. I will look at that and I will fight for the player.”
The Bulls will, however, have to expose themselves to a bout of introspection. They fell off the pace in the second half and by the time Grobbelaar was sent off, the game was in the balance. The 14 turnovers they conceded should invite scrutiny.
That’s if White can find the time. “I seem to be spending most of my week at the judiciary meetings, which is not helping the coaching,” said the grizzled mentor.
Scorers in Parma
Zebre (6) 9 – Penalties: Giovanni Montemauri (3).
Lions (7) 10 – Try: Edwill van der Merwe. Conversion: Sanele Nohamba. Penalty: Nohamba.
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