Lions keeping an eye on the prize 25 July By Jacques Van Der Westhuyzen Johannesburg – Golden Lions rugby coach Johan Ackermann has slammed the promotion-relegation matches, saying insufferable damage will be inflicted on the franchise which misses out on Super Rugby next year. As the last-placed South African team from this year’s competition, the Southern Kings will face the Lions in a two-legged play-off for a spot in next year’s competition, starting in Port Elizabeth on Friday evening. The Lions will then host the Kings at Ellis Park next Saturday. The team with the most log points – with bonus points being awarded for scoring four tries and losing within seven points – will determine who plays Super Rugby and who loses out. The Kings replaced last year’s weakest team, the Lions, in this year’s competition and the upshot was several players signing with other franchises and a huge financial blow to the Johannesburg-based side. “The team that loses the promotion-relegation tie loses – and loses badly,” said Ackermann ahead of Friday’s first-leg match in Port Elizabeth. “If it’s us it’ll be a helluva knock to the union (Lions franchise) ... a second year out of the competition will mean we’ll lose a bunch of players again. “And if the Kings lose out, they’ll lose players as well. They will have no reason to stay in the Eastern Cape, so it’ll be a big blow to them, too. How would they then be expected to build a team from scratch. “Whatever happens over the next two matches, it’s not good for either franchise.” Ackermann added the decision to gift the Kings a place in Super Rugby – at the expense of the worst performing South African side – should never have been allowed to happen. “In my opinion what’s happened is that two unions (franchises) have, or will have, been brought down. “What should have rather happened is one team should have been kept up (in Super Rugby) and the other (Kings) should have been allowed to raise their game in another way, by first playing Currie Cup rugby against the Bulls, Sharks and Western Province etc. That way they would have been ready to take the next step when it came about ... that would have been win-win for the Kings, but now if they lose out, what then?” Ackermann further rued the fact the Lions weren’t given a chance to at least defend their Super Rugby spot after last year’s competition, as the Kings will now do. “Both teams are now in danger. First, one team got hurt (Lions), now another team can be hurt (Kings). Even though we were last in 2012, surely every team deserve a chance to defend their place ... the Kings get their chance now, which is fair. The whole process just hasn’t been right.” Besides a further financial blow to the Lions were they to miss out on Super Rugby for a second year in a row, the possibility exists that several more players and even members of the coaching team will opt to move elsewhere. “My contract as well as those of a few others at the Lions ends at the end of this year, so if we don’t make it we’ll have to consider our options,” said Ackermann. “The union may not even want us.” The consequences of not playing Super Rugby next season is something the Lions boss doesn’t really want to think about. “I want to coach rugby, I want to do it at the highest level, to measure myself and my team against the best. I’ve done the job in the Currie Cup and Vodacom Cup, but I’d love a crack at Super Rugby (Ackermann took over from John Mitchell right at the end of last year’s competition). It’ll be a huge disappointment if I don’t get that chance ... but that’s a matter for another day. My focus right now is on the Kings.” – The Star
Posted on: Thu, 25 Jul 2013 19:37:38 +0000