Lions head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi lamented his team’s lack of concentration during their 43-31 loss to the Sharks in the Currie Cup on Saturday.

Nkosi is in charge of the Lions in the Currie Cup, while Ivan van Rooyen coaches  the team in the flagship United Rugby Championship tournament.

This weekend’s game at Ellis Park was one of the more spirited matches the Lions have played across all competitions, but they fell short because they were not consistent in crucial stages of the match. 

The Lions began the match strongly and then dozed off, only to wake up in the latter stages of the match when they had to chase the scoreboard. They matched the Sharks by scoring five tires courtesy of Boldwin Hansen, Emmanuel Tshituka, Divan Rossouw, Morne Brandon and James Mollentze.

What swayed the match in favour of the visitors from Durban was the penalties Nkosi’s team gave away and he blamed that on a lack of concentration. 

“For the most part we were in it. If you look at the instances of a lack of concentration, that put us under pressure,” said Nkosi. 

“In the middle period of the game we became a little ill-disciplined. They kicked into the corner, we conceded a penalty and they took three points. We just went through a phase where we lacked concentration in key areas. 

“As much as we were up for it, we have to concentrate for the full 80 minutes, not just play in fits and starts. That’s something we’re going to address as a team.  

“The biggest thing for us is a lack of concentration; more than half of the penalties [conceded] were just a lack of concentration,” said the young coach. 

Even though he was disappointed with the defeat, Nkosi was happy with the flashes of excellence his team showed. The Lions are rooted to the bottom of the Currie Cup table and will face the Cheetahs next on March 5 in Bloemfontein.