Lions must invest in forwards if they’re going to compete

The Lions are in desperate need of a boost, and the sooner they splash the cash and buy some quality forwards the better. Otherwise they’re not going to be able to stay in touch with the likes of the Bulls and Sharks, and they’re going to battle in any international competition.

That much has been made clear following their performances in recent weeks.

While there is plenty of promise and moments of excellence in the Lions team, they don’t have quality depth and they’re lacking a few big hitters in the forwards. And we all know in rugby, if you don’t have depth and if you don’t have the power and grunt up front, you’re going to battle.

The Lions have lost virtually a full team in the last few seasons and they’ve battled to replace star players with men of equal standard, skill and experience.

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In recent times they have relied on several youngsters and now that some big players are out, like Burger Odendaal, Willem Alberts, Wandisile Simelane, Jordan Hendrikse and others, they are struggling to adequately fill big holes.

Alberts’ injury is a big one because I can’t see anyone else in the pack fulfilling the role of ball-carrier and momentum builder. The Lions have scrummed and mauled well but they don’t have men to create pressure through carrying strongly, and their locks are not up to scratch. You’ve got to win the collisions to win the game and the Lions aren’t doing that.

There’s enough at the back to be excited about, but too often the Lions are playing on the back foot and the outside men aren’t able to get into the game properly, or often enough.

My advice would be to go into market and find some quality forwards; it’s what the Bulls and Sharks have done and it’s something the Lions now need to do as well.

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Regarding this weekend’s matches, I think the Bulls will again be too good for the Lions, while the match in Cape Town is up for grabs.

I’m very curious to see how the Lions respond after their hammering last week. Will they match the physicality of the Bulls and be able to go for the full 80 minutes? I think the Bulls will be too good again.

The conditions in Cape Town will be different to what the teams experienced in Durban, so hopefully it’ll be a good game in good weather. The Stormers will have plenty of confidence after getting the draw last week, and confidence will be up at home, but the Sharks would also have learnt a thing or two from last week’s match.

Enjoy the action; both games should once again produce some cracking entertainment.