MARK KEOHANE | Lions’ bite has nothing on the Bulls’ horns

The Lions must shake the mentality of being South African rugby’s bridesmaids when it comes to the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. They must win away from home in Pretoria to make a statement that they are good enough to make the play-offs and advance beyond a quarter-final.

Will they make enough of a statement at Loftus on Saturday? I doubt it.

They, collectively, are not good enough, which is not to be interpreted as them not being a good side. They are more than a good side; they are a very good side. 

They were composed and lethal on the counterattack in the 30-23 win against the Stormers a week ago. They were starved of possession and field position, but they found a way to score three tries and kick their points, 15 of which came via the boot of flyhalf Gianni Lombard, and they were disciplined enough to resist a Stormers second-half fight, which the visitors won 17-6, but not enough to erase a 24-6 deficit.

The Bulls were diabolical in losing to the Sharks. Again, no misinterpretation, so let me spell it out. The Sharks, with their youthful backs and the general Lukhanyo Am directing proceedings, were magnificent with ball in hand, were courageous in the tackle and were vibrant in every on-field action. They trailed the Bulls seven-nil after three minutes, having started the match without eight regulars including the power Bok trio of Ox Nche, Eben Etzebeth and Siya Kolisi.

They lost three players to yellow cards and at one stage were playing 12 against 15, but despite facing rugby’s on-field equivalent of a tsunami, by way of a Bulls team with a three-player advantage, they would score 22 points and concede just five up until the 77th minute when the finals added a third try.

The Sharks got five invaluable league points in Pretoria to consolidate a top-four league place, but it is the Bulls who were left to ponder how they possibly could lose a match in which they had such dominance up front and such a numerical advantage.

Bulls coach Jake White found some kind of comfort in attributing so much to the absence of loose-forward Cameron Hanekom, whose explosiveness and pace he said were instrumental in providing so much to the Bulls throughout the season.

I don’t buy that one. If one player is the difference between winning and losing, they are in trouble and in the days that followed, in private and within the team context, I am sure the focus was more on how did 15 not put away 12?

The Bulls were as poor as they have been at any stage in the past few seasons. Their decision-making lacked consideration and they continued to do the same thing and expect a different result.

Serious questions would have been asked of their rugby intelligence in the Monday review session. They can’t possibly be as bad again, and perhaps the gruelling 80 minutes in Cape Town against the Stormers a week earlier contributed to the flatness of their performance.

Home ground advantage, Hanekom’s return and a Jake White hairdryer treatment this week, aligned with Wilco Louw’s destructive scrumming and an improved display from Willie le Roux, should be enough to settle the nerves at Loftus and get the Bulls in the right frame of mind for next weekend’s visit from the Stormers.

The Lions will be confident, and they won’t lack belief, but I don’t see their pack lasting 80 minutes against the Bulls and I don’t see the Bulls defence being as charitable as the Stormers a week ago.

I have the Bulls to win and win comfortably.

In Guinness 6 Nations action, England will win at the Allianz Stadium in Twickenham against Scotland to claim the Calcutta Cup and Ireland will wallop Wales in Cardiff and inflict a 15th successive Test defeat for the hosts.

Sunday’s final match is in Rome when Italy welcomes France. Last season they drew 13-all in France and Italy missed a penalty to win for the first time ever against France in France. The penalty kick hit the post, which made it even more painful for the visitors.

The two nations will play for the 50th time. France have won 45, Italy have three wins and last season’s draw.

The wins came in Grenoble in 1997, Rome in 2011 (with former Springboks coach Nick Mallett at the helm of Italy) and in 2013 in Rome.

Rome it is again on Sunday and how glorious won’t it be when Italy snatches a dramatic late penalty win, maybe even hitting the post but this time going over.