Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen praised his side’s character after they delivered a powerful response against the Sharks at Ellis Park.
The pride of Joburg outmuscled JP Pietersen’s Sharks 34-22 to bag five vital URC points and inject serious momentum into their campaign.
Van Rooyen was first to admit that it was by no means a classic.
“Not the perfect performance, but we were clearly bitterly disappointed after the last performance against the Bulls, so to walk away with five points – really proud, really happy,” said Van Rooyen afterwards.
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The Lions were bullied at the set-piece by the Bulls a few weeks ago, but van Rooyen felt that they were much sharper in that area this time around.
“I think we were a lot better and a lot more effective there today. We had the ability to put them under a bit of pressure. I felt there were some really good solutions today, so I’m really proud of the players,” the coach added.
After losing five lineouts against the Bulls, the improvement was obvious. The Lions were far more accurate and assertive, particularly at crucial moments, laying a platform that allowed their backs to play.
The result also keeps the Lions firmly in the hunt domestically, with the SA Shield still in play – although Van Rooyen isn’t getting ahead of himself.
“It’s obviously good for us to have this opportunity, but 110-percent focus will be on our process.”
Next up, a wounded Stormers side arriving at Ellis Park.
John Dobson’s men have been stung twice by the Sharks in recent weeks – home and away – and have surrendered top spot on the URC table. Van Rooyen knows exactly what that means.
“The Stormers, after playing the Sharks twice, didn’t get the wins. We know how proud they are and the quality that they have. If you’re not going to be 110-percent ready for the Stormers, then they can absolutely tear you apart.”
Lions captain Francke Horn echoed the sentiment. For him, Saturday was about restoring standards.
“We’re all proud men in the change room. We know that the performance against the Bulls wasn’t up to our standards. We just said that’s not what we want to stand for. We want to be a team that has energy, that has hunger and that plays a good brand of rugby. I think at stages today we really showed that. There are things to change and things to fix, but that’s every game.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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