3 years ago
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Whether they have full confidence in the coaching staff and the executive is a matter of much intrigue and tension in Doornfontein, but there's a mounting body of evidence that the Lions players have full faith in their own abilities and a cheery (if wayward) brand of optimism.
In orchestrating a thrilling 32-28 comeback victory over a shell-shocked Benetton in Treviso on Saturday afternoon, they've now embarked on a three-match winning streak in the URC, which feels totally counterintuitive given continued reports of discord behind the scenes.
Tellingly, the Lions have suddenly jumped to ninth in the standings and might just dream of Champions Cup qualification next season.
Ivan van Rooyen's charges definitely required their peculiar yet compelling way of motivating themselves because, with just 18 minutes left on the clock, they were staring a deflating defeat squarely in the face, down 13-28.
There had been the consolation of surviving Sanele Nohamba's yellow card for a deliberate knock-down in Benetton's red zone - he didn't even remotely protest the decision - in the 48th minute without conceding any points, but appeared out of the contest when, ironically, replacement home hooker Henry Time-Stowers cheekily surged through an attacking lineout without a hand being put on him.
That was Benetton's fourth try and a bonus point, a sequence indicative up to that point of just how badly the Lions were let down by their bouts of sheer carelessness on defence.
It had been the case twice in the first half too, where Argentina sevens star Joaquin Riera - operating at outside centre - coasted through a yawning gap left by JP Smith and Emmanuel Tshituka, who were expecting of each other to mark the playmaker, before nippy Jacob Umaga, son of former Samoa legend Mike and nephew of the brilliant Tana, slipped past a bunched defensive line in midfield and drew Quan Horn away from a grateful Marcus Watson, who scored in the left corner.
But, in the space of six frenzied minutes, the picture would change, spectacularly so.
It started in the 62nd minute when a break from the prone Edwill van der Merwe and another by Marius Louw, who almost botched an awkward offload, allowed the excellent Tshituka to barge over.
From the next kick-off, Francke Horn, cruelly denied the chance to build on a stunning start to the season with an ankle injury in mid-campaign, glided past three flailing tackles for a stunning 60m run down the right, freeing up Rabz Maxwane for a score that reduced the gap to three in an instant.
As is the case with such blitzkriegs, the pressure started doing funny things to Benetton, who a few moments later showed the type of poor judgement that had seemed reserved for the visitors previously by overcompensating for a Lions kick into their own in-goal area and dotting down, instead of letting it roll out.
That would've left the Lions demoralised with a scrum against them way back.
Yet the drop-out behind the goal-line kept the Lions in a great attacking position, which initially seemed to break down as the hosts kept a static attack at bay.
Manny Rass, who's very steadily starting to show signs of the player who was so highly rated at junior level, though had other ideas, calling for a set move from the stifled maul, bravely changing his direction with ball in hand by coming back in, streaking through a gap and creating the space for Tshituka to complete a superb brace.
It was brave, clinical and brilliant from a team who, for prolonged periods of this match, couldn't find effective ways of finding an exit out of their own half, organised their defence halfheartedly and showed disconcerting bluntness on attack.
Imagine what they can do though if they can replicate this game's 18-minute window for 80 minutes in future...
Point scorers:
Benetton - 28 (21)
Try: Joaquin Riera, Marcus Watson, Siua Maile, Henry Time-Stowers
Conversions: Jacob Umaga (4)
Lions - 32 (10)
English (US)