SOUTH AFRICA’S GOLDEN Lions hope to complete a transformation from Super Rugby also-rans to champions tomorrow to give Gloucester-bound coach Johan Ackermann a fairytale farewell.
The Johannesburg team that once scored 65 points in a match (and still lost) host seven-time title-winners Canterbury Crusaders to Ellis Park (Saturday, 3pm Sky Sports).
After a mediocre Super Rugby season of too many lop-sided matches, the decider is rich in promise as the South Africans seek a first title in their second successive final appearance.
The New Zealand outfit have always been among the pre-season title favourites, a far cry from where the Lions once found themselves. They lost all 13 league matches in 2010, the same year they were beaten 72-65 by New Zealand visitors Waikato Chiefs.
In 2013, the Lions were relegated to accommodate compatriots Southern Kings, who now find themselves a part of the Pro14.
Former Springbok lock Ackermann then waved his magic wand by assembling a team of cast-offs from other franchises and moulding them into a fearsome team.
The coach scorned the kick-and-chase style favoured by South Africans and opted for a ball-in-hand approach that had made New Zealand teams so successful. It worked a treat as the Lions became the most exciting South African side and finished 12th, eighth, second and first in the past four regular-season standings.
Topping the league table is crucial in Super Rugby as it guarantees home advantage in the knockout rounds as long as the team wins.
The final marks the end of the Ackermann reign at the Lions as he takes over English Premiership club Gloucester for the 2017-2018 northern hemisphere season.
“This is the perfect ending to my time at the Lions,” the 47-year-old said. “Winning the final will be the icing on the cake.
The Lions are more than a rugby team — they are a family. We have grown together from humble beginnings, taken knocks, got up and carried on.
“As the final draws near, let us not forget those who mow the Ellis Park grass, the administrators and other people who have helped us succeed.”
Ackermann stresses the team ethic and there was no mention of individuals ahead of the clash with the Crusaders, who have won eight of 11 previous meetings.
Had he decided otherwise, stars like leading 2017 Super Rugby points scorer and fly-half Elton Jantjies and skipper and flanker Jaco Kriel would have quickly surfaced. This season has also seen the emergence of new stars like lock Franco Mostert and scrum-half Ross Cronje, both rewarded with Test caps against France in June.
Crusaders have revelled in a low-key build-up far from Christchurch, where they defeated the Otago Highlanders and Chiefs en route to the final.
“The team have acclimatised well,” said Scott Robertson, a Super Rugby winner as a loose forward with the Crusaders and now in his maiden season as coach.
“We are a bit isolated here, which is good as we avoid a lot of the hype that would have surrounded us back home.
“Defence is obviously critical,” he added, and his team were magnificent in repulsing wave after wave of Chiefs raids last weekend.
Winger Seta Tamanivalu scored two tries in that match while an internationals-stacked pack includes skipper and lock Sam Whitelock and All Blacks captain and No. 8 Kieran Read.
Home advantage and the lung-burning effect on the visitors of playing 1,750 metres (5,750 feet) above sea level make the Lions slight favourites.
But Robertson has sounded a warning: “We are tired of waiting to win another final. We want to hold the trophy and have the players to achieve that goal.”
Lions: Andries Coetzee; Ruan Combrinck, Lionel Mapoe, Harold Vorster, Courtnall Skosan; Elton Jantjies, Ross Cronje; Jacques van Rooyen, Malcolm Marx, Ruan Dreyer, Andries Ferreira; Franco Mostert, Jaco Kriel (capt); Kwagga Smith, Ruan Ackermann.
Replacements: Akker van der Merwe, Corne Fourie, Johannes Jonker, Lourens Erasmus, Cyle Brink, Faf de Klerk, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Sylvian Mahuza
Crusaders: David Havili; Israel Dagg, Jack Goodhue, Ryan Crotty, Seta Tamanivalu; Richie Mo’unga, Bryn Hall; Joe Moody, Codie Taylor, Owen Franks; Sam Whitelock (capt), Scott Barrett; Jordan Taufua, Matt Todd, Kieran Read
Replacements: Ben Funnell, Wyatt Crockett, Michael Alaalatoa, Luke Romano, Pete Samu, Mitchell Drummond, Mitchell Hunt, George Bridge
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