JOHN MITCHELL, writing on the Vodacom Rugby Portal, says the Lions still have room for improvement.

Johan Ackermann has created a very good Afrikaans culture at the Lions. Ackermann, who was my assistant coach when I was head coach at the union, is a good rugby man and competitor. He is very loyal, not afraid of hard work and is fun to be around.

Ackermann has exceptional expertise at the set pieces, including lineout drive detail. When he was a player, he was exposed to former All Blacks coach Wayne Smith, as well as myself when he was my assistant, which obviously opened up his mind in terms of attacking all areas of space. He has developed as a coach since I left, and will grow further as he gains more experience.

Read the rest of Mitchell's column

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