Johannesburg - Keeping the team motivated after their recent loss to Leinster will arguably be the most difficult task that faces the Lions coaching team this week and on match-day.
The narrow defeat to the Irish giants last weekend ended the Lions’ future participation in the URC postseason.
They will face a Zebre side rooted to the bottom of the standings tomorrow at Loftus Versfeld in a match that has limited stakes to the greater whole of the tournament.
Nevertheless, Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher insisted yesterday that the team still have goals to achieve, and in that they will find reason to perform.
“The big thing for us is to see where we can improve,” Loubscher said.
“I think from an attack review, we scored five tries against Leinster and we probably missed out on four, five, six, so it will be about finishing off those missed opportunities and make sure at every opportunity we get on Saturday, we put in a clinical performance.”
Despite the disappointment of missing out on a top-eight finish and a play-off spot, Loubscher remained adamant that the Joburgers learnt important lessons that will help them going forward.
“We look at the last few games and just in terms of improvement, there have been massive strides,” said Loubscher.
“We had a great start and then we had a slump in the middle. We had a good look at our attack and the players should take a lot of credit for that with just the buy in.
“We made small tweaks – our mindset, in terms of having a go first and then looking for opportunities after that, it paid off for us.
“There has been continuous improvement by making small tweaks week in and week out.
“Our goal was to make the top eight and unfortunately we didn’t do that.
“If I look at our team and its
potential, our big challenge going forward is to be more consistent.
“That will be our challenge in the Currie Cup and next season. There is enough talent in this group to make the top eight.”
That conviction will be cold comfort for the team’s supporters
who will once again experience a season that promised much, but which devolved into a familiar, frustrating pattern.
Zebre were mauled 78-12 last weekend against the Bulls and will want to show a bit of moxie against their hosts this weekend.
The Lions, meanwhile, must show more than that – they must put in a mature performance in which they show that even after great disappointment, they have the tenacity to learn from their shortcomings and finish their campaign strongly.
@FreemanZAR