He wasn’t even supposed to take the penalty but when Ruan Combrinck put his foot down‚ he gave flight to the Lions’ last throw of the dice in their Super Rugby quarter-final against the Sharks.
The monster penalty attempt three metres inside his own half and on the angle wasn’t his best strike‚ but the ball was willed on by a crowd who had seen their usually marauding side reduced to a stutter by a resilient Sharks team.
The kick barely made it over the crossbar but it was enough to seal a very hard fought 23-21 victory and set up a meeting with the Hurricanes in the semi-final at Ellis Park next weekend.
“I thought maybe we should go for the corner and see if we could get a penalty closer‚" said Lions coach Johan Ackermann about Combrinck’s insistence on taking the kick with three minutes left on the clock.
"Commies was in no doubt. He was so adamant he wanted to kick and credit to him he did it.”
The Lions were removed from their comfort zone by the spirited Sharks and had to resort to tactics they are less accustomed.
They were in need of divine inspiration.
“If you know Ruan Combrinck’s character you will understand it better‚” explained captain Jaco Kriel.
“He’s always looking for opportunities for the big moments. He is always the last guy walking off the (training) field after kicking 60m‚ 65m penalties. We don’t know how many he gets over.
“I had my doubts after he missed his first kick.
"I always look to the side (of the field) for advice for a message from the coach though our water carriers were already pointing at the line.
"Commies‚ however‚ already had the tee in his hand and I thought ‘okay Commies‚ this is winning or losing it.’
"Credit to him‚ he kept his pose and that was after cramping in his first kick. I don’t know if that was just an excuse for missing that one‚” Kriel chuckled.
Ackermann was visibly relieved.
“In that last bit there were a lot of grey hairs and even the thought that this was going to be the way I end my time here at the Lions‚” said the coach‚ who is heading to Gloucester at the completion of the competition.
The win means they host the Hurricanes next Saturday.
Unlike in the past where throughout the knock-out stages the match-ups were determined according to ranking on the log at the end of the league stages‚ this year a predetermined draw took precedence.
Ackermann last week expressed reservations about the change but he didn’t really complain.
After all‚ as it turned out their next opponents had to travel from Canberra for the semi-final‚ while the Chiefs‚ the lowest ranked team left in the competition‚ will fly back to New Zealand to face the Crusaders in Christchurch.
Ackermann knows his team will have to be a lot better against a side that scored 50 against them at Ellis Park last year before losing to the same opponents in a rain soaked final.
- TimesLIVE
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