That the brave fight the Lions put up before losing by eight points to Leinster in Dublin was seen as such an encouraging sign may be an indication of just how far the Johannesburg franchise has slipped in a short period.
Yes, the Lions surprised a lot of us with the way they gave as good as they got against the perennial champions in the United Rugby Championship (URC) in its previous incarnation as the Pro14. With just a bit of luck, they could have caused a major upset by winning at a venue where Leinster are considered close to invincible.
But a closer look at the fine print of who they were playing against should bring home a more sobering reality. If you looked at the Ireland team sheet for Sunday's Six Nations game against Italy at the Aviva Stadium, you will have noted how loaded it was with Leinster players, in the starting team and in the reserves.
The Lions’ competitiveness against Leinster was based on their scrum, which was a dominant force throughout the 80 minutes and forced Leinster into a discomfort zone they won’t be used to. However, they had three front row forwards in the starting team against Italy and one on the bench.
In addition to that, there were nine changes to the side that had beaten the Ospreys the week before. The team that beat the Ospreys was already a second-string one because of the international absentees. Which led some of the Irish commentators, who would know the Leinster players and Leinster squad makeup better than most South Africans would, to suggest that what we saw on Friday night was the Leinster third team.
Had the Lions won, that fact would not have diminished the achievement. Leinster are after all an entity that often boasts about their depth and how there isn’t that much difference between their first- and second-string teams. Recently they spoke about how they have two A teams at their disposal that train together.
But the subject of depth is what this column is about. Lions chair Altmann Allers was quoted in the weekend media saying that his union’s policy is to hold onto its cash, most of which of course is his as the majority shareholder.
A lot of what Allers said was matter-of-fact pragmatism reflecting these uncertain times: when will the government fully open sports stadiums again? Until the stadiums are opened, the franchises don’t really have much to sell.
Super Rugby
Yet, a franchise that played in its last of three successive Super Rugby finals a matter of less than four years ago is now languishing in 14th position on the URC log and is patting itself on the back for losing by a small margin to Leinster’s third team.
How was that allowed to happen? We know the answer, for some media this past week ran the full list of players who have left the Lions. Some retired of course, but most moved on to more lucrative pastures, and when you watch Shimlas play in the Varsity Cup, you are also reminded that the Lions have also lost an excellent coach in Swys de Bruin.
As surprising as the Lions’ competitiveness was against Leinster, you’d struggle to really pinpoint what was so excellent about them outside their set-phase focus.
Their one particularly bright glimmering ray of hope though was young Jordan Hendrikse, who does look the business as a future match-winning flyhalf. But that is where the depth issue comes in — Hendrikse is still just 20. He is very young to be entrusted with the responsibilities of being his team’s game driver. And he will struggle to develop the game-driving skills he needs if he doesn’t have experienced players around him.
The Leinster game came in the same week that the experienced inside centre Burger Odendaal’s move overseas was confirmed. The loss is a big one for they already lack the experienced spine to their team around which the youngsters can develop. As the man standing next to Hendrikse, he could have played a key role in helping him develop.
Experienced players
I’d also be more confident about Hendrikse becoming the player he is touted to become if Elton Jantjies was still at the Lions and Hendrikse was able to develop in his shadow rather than being thrown in at the deep end.
And that is where Leinster have a march not just on the Lions but on most SA franchises — they have the depth that allows them to field second-string teams that still have experienced players, such as Devin Toner, to help bring the younger players through.
The experienced second-string unit the Sharks fielded in their most recent Currie Cup game in Johannesburg suggests their foreign investors are making it possible for them to follow the Leinster model. The Lions team they faced was made up mostly of under-20 players who would have a better chance of learning if they had more experienced players around them.
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