Back in February, Warren Whiteley assured the audience at the launch of Wits University’s Varsity Shield campaign that the Lions were not going into the 2016 Super Rugby campaign to make up the numbers.
He said, in words to the effect, that while some may think it might be impossible for them to win the title, everything anyone has ever achieved seems impossible at some stage.
By now most of us will know whether they did go all the way or not in the Super Rugby final, but whether or not they stumble at the final hurdle, no one can deny it’s been a remarkable season for them.
There were things Whiteley said that morning at Wits that gave a clue about how they intended achieving the seemingly impossible, and coach Johan Ackermann, who was also there, reinforced him.
In essence, the pair said that, if they were going to succeed, it would be as much about the type of people the members of the team are, as it would be about their physical prowess and rugby skills.
They used words like brotherhood, family, values and a common goal.
As the season progressed and the rest of the South African rugby public were forced to believe what the members of the team, one feels, knew all along, the words and behaviour of the coach and captain stressed that attitude at every opportunity.
I had the privilege of sitting in on the post-match press conferences of all the Lions games at Emirates Airlines Park, save for the semi-final, and I heard the same sentiments every time. There was always an expression of thanks for the opportunity to perform at this level, and an acknowledgement of the collective effort that goes into success.
At that breakfast, Whiteley gave the example of how, after practice, everyone carries the water, and puts all the equipment away - the senior players too. It comes straight out of the All Blacks’ philosophy as told in the book Legacy - What the All Blacks Can Teach Us About the Business of Life, by James Kerr.
That book is a study of the remarkable success story the New Zealand rugby team has been over the past 10 years, and it concludes that it’s all about character, about doing everything properly and about identifying individual and team values and conducting the season accordingly.
The Lions, it seems, have done just that. I observed that philosophy in action during the quarter-final game against the Crusaders.
Five minutes from time, I saw through my binoculars, the players on the bench - and at that stage of the game many were seniors who had been substituted - jumping up and clearing up the discarded strapping tape and empty drinks bottles that littered the area, so when the final whistle went they could join in the celebrations without anyone having to clean up after them.
I took a picture with my phone and sent it out on Twitter, commenting that it was an example of the team’s winning culture. And I got quite a response: 34 000 impressions and over 300 retweets. I was even trending in South Africa at one stage, although I needed a teenaged relative to explain to me what that meant.
It clearly hit the right note among those who recognise what’s been going on at the Lions this year.
Some, unkindly, criticised the Lions for imitating the All Blacks.
So what? What’s wrong with emulating the best in the world?
“Good people make good All Blacks,” coach Graham Henry used to say. I’m an outsider who has observed the Lions more closely than the average fan gets the opportunity to do this year, and it seems they are a group of good people.
That’s shown in their performances on the field.
It’s been a good season for the Lions, for all the right reasons.
Any lessons there for school rugby coaches?
Independent Media