The Lions are ready to take on the Sharks in a crucial United Rugby Championship (URC) match at Ellis Park on Saturday evening.
It has been a tough few months at the URC for the Lions, losing their last four matches in a row, while they have also struggled against the South African side, losing their last nine matches.
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So in an attempt to shake off a poor run of form, Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen believes the onus is on him to take chances and make things happen if he wants to beat the Sharks.
“If you look at the Stormers, the Sharks and the Bulls, they all attack in different ways, but you stay under constant pressure,” Van Rooyen said.
“So we know that we have to have more opportunities to attack, and we have to force them to make tackles. We have to take the attack for them, because if you just sit back and kick and defend, especially with the speed of the outside backs of the whole SA team, they will punish you.
“Each team’s defense system is different and I know it will be very difficult for our attack. It’s a combination of confidence and a little chance of the arm. Sometimes we look for 50/50 offload and don’t force the other ruck.
Different game plans
Van Rooyen admits that the Lions cannot be one-dimensional and must have a different game plan if they want to beat the best teams in the competition.
“We know we can’t just play from ruck to ruck, we have to be more dynamic in attack and also with our kicking game,” said Van Rooyen.
“If you look at the top teams, the Stormers, the Bulls, the Sharks, Leinster, Ulster, Munster, the point of difference now is their attack and defensive kicking game.
“(This weekend) is an opportunity for us to play against a team that, if they lack confidence, it’s important for us to capitalize. If not, we have to find a way to slow them down.