Cape Town – Lions loose forwards Warren Whiteley, the captain, and Warwick Tecklenburg have catapulted up the rankings for tackles made in Super Rugby 2015 thus far.
It is hardly surprising considering the bloody-minded defensive tenacity that was the key hallmark of their 13-10 disposal of the Blues in Albany to get their overseas leg off to a memorable start -- even if the game itself was significantly less than a classic.
The whole theme of New Zealand media coverage of the game predictably revolved around under-fire Blues head coach John Kirwan, who now stands at nought from four in the win column this season and his charges bottom of the overall table.