Lions must rediscover attack spark in URC when facing Zebre

Angelo Davids will recall, with fondness, how he danced his way to four tries against Boland Kavaliers in the Lions’ Currie Cup semi-final romp in mid-September.

The Joburgers were full of running that day as they routed the Cape-based side 67-10, and Davids was the happy beneficiary of the gameplan, crossing the whitewash for a 20-point haul while also contributing with a try assist.

In all, Davids played nine matches for the Joburgers in the Cup, scoring 40 points, beating 22 defenders, making nine clean breaks, gaining 526m, and providing four try assists. His Cup performances allayed fears, to a certain degree, that the wing position would be in capable hands following the departure of Springbok Edwill van der Merwe to the Sharks.

“It has been a good one for me,” Davids noted, earlier this week, in a Lions’ media briefing from Parma, northern Italy.

“Mentally, I needed the change … I’ve settled in quite nicely here at the Lions. The team has made it easy for me to do what I need to do.”

Formerly of the Stormers, Davids’ move seemed like smart business by the Lions. Starved of consistent gametime down in the Cape – he only played four games last season at franchise level – the former Blitzbok and Baby Bok should be hungry to prove a point.

Although the 26-year-old had a notable start to his Lions career in the domestic league, the true test of his credentials will be revealed in the coming weeks in the United Rugby Championship (URC).

The Lions began the tournament with a disappointing 33-20 defeat to Cardiff Rugby this past weekend. Davids barely saw the ball during the match, which was indicative of the Lions’ inability or unwillingness to spread the ball wide.

He managed only 12m in the match, with two passes and two clean breaks. His teammate in the No 14 jersey on the right wing, Tapiwa Mafura, was even less involved, gaining just 4m.

It seems a travesty that, with such explosive outside backs that also including Quan Horn (30m and four passes), and with the ever-dangerous Henco van Wyk (37m, three defenders beaten and one pass) in midfield, the Lions were unable to unzip the Cardiff defence to better effect.

On Sunday, when they face Zebre (kick-off 4pm), the Lions will have to rediscover their attacking spark, the likes of which were evident during their Currie Cup campaign. Of course, the intensity of the URC is several levels above that of South Africa’s oldest domestic league, but the possible return to the matchday 23 of flyhalf Chris Smith, combined with the marauding attacking play of No 8 Francke Horn, could facilitate those ambitions.

Doing so at the Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, however, will be no easy feat.

In last season’s clash there against Zebre, the Lions played in horrid conditions to eke out a tightly contested 10-9 victory. Light rain is expected again on Sunday, but an attack-minded approach is not improbable.

Indeed, during their first URC clash in the 2021/22 season at the same venue, both teams put on a spectacle of high-octane rugby. The Lions raced to a 35-0 half-time lead before a resurgent Zebre scored 26 points in the second stanza, resulting in a 38-26 finish.

Meanwhile, in their opening clash of the URC against Edinburgh, the won an eight-try thriller 31-28.

Moreover, previous encounters have also been high scoring affairs, save for last season's outlier. In all, the Lions have scored 159 points in four matches against the Italian outfit, conceding 99, with an average score of 40-25 in favour of the Doornfontein-based side.

With firepower out wide and in midfield, the Lions’ challenge is clear: unlock Zebre’s defence and remind everyone, including themselves, why their Currie Cup campaign had fans dancing.