The key areas the Lions need to improve to maul Stormers

The Lions face the Stormers in a crunch United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Ellis Park on Saturday (3pm kick-off).

The Joburgers are on a three-match losing streak, and here Morgan Bolton considers five aspects the Lions must improve if they are to snap that run and claim an important victory…

USE THAT SCRUM

There is no doubt that the Lions’ scrum is one of the most powerful in the URC. Although it has arguably not received the purchase it deserves, props Sti Sithole and Carlu Sadie and the pack behind them have built a formidable foundation. Together, the pack have won 96% of their scrums in the competition.

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In their most recent outing, the 21-13 loss to the Bulls, the Lions also won three tightheads. And although it could be argued that the 50-50 calls have not gone the way of the Joburgers, the scrum should be far more successful in generating front-foot ball.

An arm-wrestle is expected in this department this weekend – especially if Brok Harris, Scarra Ntubeni and Steven Kitshoff are involved for the Stormers – but as was shown in their stellar victory over the Cape side in December, the Lions have the ability to dominate them.

GET THAT LINE-OUT

It is here that the scrum dominance falls away. Despite their best efforts, the Lions have been guilty of letting the subsequent penalty and drive up-field slip in the second set-piece.

There have been massive disruptions to the line-out unit – the Lions have lost Pieter Jansen van Vuren, Reinhard Nothnagel and Willem Alberts to injury in the second row – so they can be forgiven for not always being clinical in this specific department.

Nevertheless, they must be far more accurate in the