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- Monday, May 18
Despite a disappointing season, Loffie Eloff says he wants to stay on as Lions head coach.
For the charismatic coach, the 2009 Super 14 season was a make or break ordeal as it was the culmination of his much talked about three-year plan. The aim was to groom the initial young side into an experienced and close-knit unit.
The reasoning behind the approach was justifiable due to the lack of big name players at the franchise, but despite the improvement, some say it’s too little to late.
The Lions were Super 14 wooden spooners last season so thing could only get better in 2009. This season they managed to win just four of their 13 matches, which moved them up a mere two spots for a 12th place finish.
Five of the Johannesburg-based franchise’s defeats were by seven points or less, so in that regard they were definitely much more competitive than previous seasons. At the end of the day, though, the record book states that the Lions haven’t cracked the top ten during Loffie's three year tenure.
Despite the sub-standard season, Eloff is adamant that he will remain in charge of the Currie Cup team and wants to stay on as head coach of the Super Rugby franchise next year.
"I'll decide on my future in September, but right now I feel I want another shot at the Super 14," Eloff said on Sunday.
"I know the guys didn't perform as well as they should have, but we got close to winning a number of matches that simply slipped away because of some inexperience and poor decision-making at times.
"The players have shown in the past few weeks they are finally getting to grips with the kind of rugby I want them to play. They're understanding the pattern, but there are a few issues I need to sort out over the next few weeks and then during the Currie Cup.
"Firstly, the team have to be more consistent. We've been very up and down this season and that's got to change. Secondly, we need to put a better effort in during the first part of our matches.
“Too often this year we had to play catch-up rugby and that's never easy to do. Lastly, we need to improve our defence. We've scored some great tries this year, but leaked far too many easy ones."
Eloff has been linked with the Western Force so it’s possible that he’ll head to Perth should the Golden Lions Rugby Union opt to replace him.
"I don't know how the union feel about me at this stage, but I have a few options available should things not go the way I want them to. The Western Force option is still open, while there are two other offers on the table from abroad. I'll see what happens after next week's meeting."
Eloff’s next challenge is preparing his squad for their match against the British & Irish Lions on June 3 ahead of his season review.
http://www.sarugby.com/news/News/article/sid=11528.html
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