Morné van den Berg has thrown down the gauntlet ahead of the Lions’ derby against the Stormers, insisting the men from Ellis Park are ready to back up last week’s statement win.
The Springbok scrumhalf was the standout performer in the comprehensive victory over the Sharks and will again pull the strings as the Lions look to cement their place in the top eight.
Van den Berg says while the respect is there, they’ll be playing without fear and won’t back down.
“They are an incredible team with incredible players and a lot of those players have that X-factor. But we are going to concentrate on what we can do. To force our game plan on them. It luckily isn’t the first time we have played against a side like that. They are a very good team but we are a very good team as well. We back ourselves and we believe we can win,” Van den Berg said on Tuesday.
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That belief has often been followed by frustration in recent seasons. The Lions have made a habit of producing a signature performance, only to stumble the following week. It’s a trend that has cost them a top-eight finish in the short history of the Vodacom URC.
Now, with momentum building and a playoff place within reach, Van den Berg says continuity is the key.
“It’s massive for us. First of all to have continuity in how we want to play. Enforcing our game plan onto other teams and enforcing our DNA. What we lacked in the past was we would play a good game and then not give a good response the next week. This week we really want to focus on implementing our DNA on the game. I feel if we do that then the points will take care of themselves.
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“If we are going to focus on the table and where we are, you might get caught up in the run of things.”
Photo: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
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