De Bruin backs Lions captain Whiteley after defeat to the Sharks

Lions coach Swys de Bruin backed returning captain Warren Whiteley’s decision-making after his charges squandered a position of promise to crash to a first defeat in 21 conference matches against the Sharks on Saturday.

The Lions took a 21-11 lead into the break and despite considerable huffing and puffing short of the Sharks goalline in the second half‚ the visitors could not blow the hosts’ house down.

Instead the Sharks grew with confidence in their obdurate defence and made the Lions pay for not kicking at goal when kickable penalties presented itself.

“We were scrumming them at that stage‚” said De Bruin about the ascendancy the Lions enjoyed in that facet which guided Whiteley’s decision to scrum rather than kick for goal.

The Lions also preferred to kick for touch at times.

“They didn’t go for the maul either‚” De Bruin said about the Sharks.

“They were on a warning for a yellow at the next one. I back Wazza (Whiteley) for his calls. Most of the 20 wins (the consecutive ones they had in the conference) came off. If it doesn’t come off‚ so be it.”

A 10-point lead‚ a dominant scrum and favourable field position counted for nothing as the Sharks belligerently held their defensive lines. Then they made the Lions pay.

“That is one that got away‚ definitely. He read that intercept very well‚” said De bruin about Lwazi Mvovo’s intercept try which helped turn the tide decisively in the home team’s favour.

De Bruin lamented the fact his side didn’t have a bigger lead at halftime.

“It went so well. We had scoring chances‚ so many. We didn’t use it.

“It is a game of margins. You must take those (opportunities). The one from Warren to Elton (Jantjies) the hands showed backwards. The (TMO’s) call said ‘forward’.

"Those are the small margins you live by. I thought we played well until the intercept‚” noted De Bruin.

The defeat is a serious setback for the Lions in their quest to again top the local conference at the conclusion of the league stages.

The defeat opened the door for the Jaguares who are now on a seven-match winning streak and just three log points behind with a game in hand.

Should the Jaguares win at Loftus and King’s Park in the coming weeks they will more than likely top the conference and crucially earn the right to host a quarterfinal.

“There is nothing safe yet‚” said De Bruin.

“We wanted to come away with a win and we couldn’t. It’s obviously not the result we wanted.

The defeat also brought to an end the Lions’ stranglehold in conference play.

“To lose it the way we did‚” sighed De Bruin.

“I’ve been blessed to be in this game for a long time and I’ve learnt one thing.

"One of my mentors‚ Piet Strydom said to me‚ 'you take it on the chin and you move on'. That’s what I’ll do. We are still proud of the team.

"We’ll take it on the chin and we’ll move on.”

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