Survivor JP has seen it all, at just 33

27 July 2016 - 09:30 By LIAM DEL CARME

Super rugby semifinalists the Lions have proved an irresistible force on attack but few have recognised their ability to stop the opposition in their tracks this season. The integrity of their defence has been shaped by JP Ferreira who has seen far more than you'd expect for a 33-year-old.Yesterday, defence coach Ferreira, preparing the Lions for Saturday's semifinal against the Highlanders, was asked about his career that has had more twists and turns than a Hitchcock thriller."I started here in 2007. In 2009 when Eugene Eloff told me that he had been fired it was a little distressing because my contract was linked to his," he said matter-of-factly.Ferreira was spared the axe and went on to outlast Hans Coetzee and Jake White, then Dick Muir and later John Mitchell."I learnt a lot from all those coaches. I have a lot to learn."The Lions don't have the sturdiest defence but they have held their defence lines when it really mattered, which helps explain their second-place finish on the Super rugby points table.With a better fortified defensive line this season, the Lions have been able to indulge their attacking instincts."The players don't play to win. They play to score tries," said chief executive Rudolf Straeuli.It is a script from which they are unlikely to deviate in the semifinal. In fact, for them nothing changes even with the higher stakes this weekend."They are very relaxed," said coach Johan Ackermann.Some of the Lions' aerial skills let them down last weekend. Lineouts went astray, as did a high ball, which resulted in a Crusaders try. The Highlanders also use high ball so the Lions will be watchful."You have to be aware of that," said coach Ackermann. "The balance Ben Smith strikes between kicking and running is good. You have to know what you are doing."..

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