Lions left themselves too much to do in second half against Cheetahs: coach Nkosi
Currie Cup
Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi admitted his side were their own worst enemies in a heavy Currie Cup defeat to the Free State Cheetahs. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
Lions coach Mziwakhe Nkosi was left to bemoan a ‘terrible’ first half that left his side with a mountain to climb in the 47-31 Currie Cup defeat to the Free State Cheetahs at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon.
While the Joburg side remain third in the points table despite the seven-try mauling, Nkosi admitted afterwards that they may need results elsewhere to go their way if they are to secure a semi-final spot in the one-round competition.
Frans Steyn’s team booked their place in the play-offs with a fourth consecutive win in the Currie Cup and ended a losing run against the Lions that had stretched back to 2023.
“We were absolutely terrible in the first half,” Nkosi admitted at the post-match media conference. “Credit to Frans and the Cheetahs, I thought they were outstanding, in particular their forward play, the set-piece, maul.
“We didn’t play any rugby. We were fresh in the second half because we didn’t expend much energy in the first, so we didn’t have much choice. It’s a long way to come to play the way we did in the first half.”
The Lions did roar back into the contest in the second half, having trailed 24-5 at the break, but the losing bonus point was scant consolation for Nkosi.
“I guess we showed some fight at the end. We probably gave ourselves a chance to win it. But in any professional game, if you give a team a 24-point head start you’re going to make it difficult for yourself to win,” the Lions mentor said.
“For us there isn’t any margin for error. You probably want one or two results to go your way. We let slip an opportunity today to probably get a semi-final, and one more win would probably have given us a home semi-final. Now we’ve got to fight hard to stay in the competition.”
Lions skipper Darrien Landsberg also felt the damage was self-inflicted.
“We made it tough for ourselves. Our discipline wasn’t good enough and if your discipline isn’t good enough you’ll find yourself in your half the whole time. That’s exactly what happened,” he said.
Next up for the Lions is a crunch derby clash against the Bulls at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Cheetahs face the Griquas at home on Friday.
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