Zeena Isaacs
29 September 2008
Johannesburg — CRITICAL errors by the Lions and Western Province in their Currie Cup fixtures this past weekend have left both teams in dire straits ahead of their final pool game this week, forcing them to go head to head for the final semifinal place.
Western Province host the Lions in the final league game this weekend in what will probably be a winner-takes-all game.
Province butchered as many as six try-scoring chances during their 23-7 victory against the Boland Cavaliers in Wellington on Saturday, which denied them an invaluable bonus point.
The point would have eased the burden on them this weekend, as they would not have needed a bonus point to book a semifinal place.
Wrong decision-making and errors at vital times also cost the Lions a bonus point in their 34-20 defeat against the Sharks in Johannesburg on Saturday, which would have guaranteed them a semifinal spot.
As things stand, the Sharks and Blue Bulls have already booked home semifinals, with the Sharks in a strong position to finish the pool stages in the top spot on the log.
The Lions are in third place with 41 points, with the Cheetahs and Western Province in fourth and fifth place, on 37 and 36 points respectively.
But the Cheetahs face the Boland Cavaliers in Bloemfontein in their last pool game and will probably earn five points, meaning the four semifinalists will only be determined after the last game.
The Lions could still secure the last place if they suffer a defeat against Western Province without a bonus point.
However, they have to ensure that Province do not secure a bonus point and do not win by more than 19 points.
If, however, the Lions earn a bonus point, they will book their semifinal place regardless of the result of the game.
Lions coach Eugene Eloff was disappointed after his team's defeat and attributed it to individual mistakes. "We did well in the set pieces. But they did well to capitalise on our mistakes. Individual errors cost us a total of 21 points."
Eloff, however, was not discouraged by the defeat and said: "If you consider that we played against almost a full international side, we did well. They got to our try line a few times but they could not break through."
He was confident that they would still book their place in the semifinal.
Lions flyhalf Earl Rose, in particular, had a shocking game. He missed two penalties and two conversions and his bad decision-making resulted in two tries for the visitors.
Sharks coach John Plumtree said there was still a lot of room for improvement.
Springbok No8 Ryan Kankowski, in particular, was in magical form, with his impressive line breaks earning the Sharks two of their four tries.
Springbok wing JP Pietersen was in equally good form, with his strength and speed carrying him over the advantage line on several occasions and his finishing at its best.
Despite the Sharks having booked their home semifinal and the team in a good position on form to secure a home final, Plumtree said being more accurate in their execution and playing better as a unit were vital to winning the Currie Cup for the first time since 1996.
"We have a lot of work to do," said Plumtree. "I am not happy with where we are. We are playing like a good team at the moment, rather than a championship side and we need to be a championship side to win the competition.
"We have to revert back to the disciplined game plan we were playing a few weeks ago. Individual efforts are not going to win us the series; a good team effort will."
Province coach Allister Coetzee was bitter about his team's failure to capitalise on their chances. But he remained hopeful that they could still sneak into the semifinals.
Coetzee, however, backed claims by Cheetahs coach Naka Drotske that it was unacceptable for teams to play on the mud bath in Wellington.
"I am not making excuses, but the condition of the field was pathetic," Coetzee said of the field, which was covered in sawdust to soak up the water.
"We only have ourselves to blame for not getting the bonus point. We had several chances. But unforced errors and bad decision-making cost us."
Coetzee, however, remained positive and said: "Even if we got the bonus point we would still have been forced to win next Saturday. This just means we have to win with a bonus point and a higher points difference. The good thing is that our destiny is still in our hands."
In other games, the Blue Bulls and Cheetahs did what was expected of them to remain in the top four, with the Bulls thrashing Griquas 58-22 in Kimberley, while the Cheetahs destroyed the Valke 78-7 in Brakpan.
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