De Bruin wants brawn against Griquas

Lions coach Swys de Bruin has urged his players to improve their physical game when they visit the Griquas in Kimberley on Friday night in a Currie Cup match they have to win to move from the bottom of the log.

The Lions narrowly beat the Pumas 29-28 in Johannesburg on Saturday afternoon but they remain rooted to the foot of the Currie Cup standings with their semi-final hopes up in the air.

“We will have to up the physical department against them (Griquas) and that is a fact‚" he said after their narrow escape against the Pumas.

"I know them too well and I know the ground very well because I coached there for five years. It will be a big challenge for us but we have to be process driven.”

De Bruin said though they only won the match by one point‚ he was pleased that they managed to score five tries against the fast-improving Pumas.

“We managed to score five tries against a Pumas side who destroyed the Blue Bulls in Nelspruit‚ beat the Griquas convincingly in Kimberley and also beat us in the previous round.

"They are a very good side who do not have too many disruptions.”

Pumas coach Brent Janse van Rensburg admitted that losing the match by a single point was disappointing but his players will have to learn from the experience as they push for a semifinal place.

“There is still a lot of rugby to be played but I think we have done enough to give ourselves a sniff at the play-offs.

"The maturity and decision-making must be more accurate and we need to drop our error rate.

"The players need to learn the lesson out of this game because we could have come out with a win.

"We can’t keep putting ourselves under pressure like this.

"We have to come through games by being accurate.

"We must execute the gameplan properly and not make it easy for teams to get the upperhand.

"I still think that the semis are a realistic goal and we are aspiring towards that and there is another opportunity against the Sharks‚” he said.