Lions head coach Mzwakhe Nkosi is focusing on discipline and clinical finishing as the Fidelity ADT Lions prepare to face the Airlink Pumas in Round 2 of the 2026 Carling Currie Cup on Saturday, 25 July 2026 at 15:00 SAST.
Following a tight 29-27 opening-round defeat to the Toyota Cheetahs in Bloemfontein, Coach Nkosi highlighted several critical focus points for his youthful squad:
“The result is obviously not what we wanted it to be, but there are many [positives] to take from it,” the head coach said.
“I felt particularly in the second half that we played really well when we had the ball in hand, and our defence improved during the second stanza.
Nkosi pinpointed poor discipline as the primary reason they let a late lead slip, stressing the importance of staying on the right side of the whistle.
“Our ill-discipline was probably our undoing in the end and our inability to finish two [scoring] chances.
The Lions only converted two out of six 22-metre entries in the second half of Round 1. Nkosi is demanding better decision-making inside the opposition's red zone.
“We created six 22m entries and converted only two in the second half.
“Even in the final play, had we kept the ball for a phase or two extra, we could’ve gotten over the line, and we would’ve been having a different conversation.”
Despite the opening loss, Nkosi noted immense positives from his 13 debutants and expressed excitement about integrating eight returning Junior Springboks to heavily fortify the squad.
“Firstly, congratulations to those guys,” he said. “We had eight Junior Boks in that team, and seven of them started in the final.
“Again, it bodes well for us if we make it count … Hopefully there’s a clean bill of health, and I’m sure we’ll see one or two of them [get selected] over the next seven or eight weeks.”
The coach plans to maintain momentum with his current crop of young players, prioritising long-term franchise development.
“We wanted to prove a point. We had 13 debutants, and you have to put that into context, including 11 U21 players, so a lot is going for us.
“But that only counts if we get the [desired] result … Guys like Likhona Finca showed what they’re capable of, as did many guys who came off the bench.
“So there’s plenty to go forward with,” he added.