Ivan van Rooyen admitted the Lions were taught a harsh lesson by Leinster after their 59-10 defeat in Saturday’s Vodacom URC quarter-final in Dublin.
The defending champions ran riot at the Aviva Stadium, punishing a series of Lions errors to end the Johannesburg side’s playoff campaign in emphatic fashion.
“Leinster were really clinical and they put you under massive pressure with their attack,” Van Rooyen said.
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“Too many unforced errors from us, kicking out on the full and other basic errors, and they were good enough to exploit those mistakes.”
The Lions coach acknowledged the gulf in experience between the two teams.
“They’ve got more Test caps than we have URC caps, and that showed a bit.”
Despite the heavy defeat, Van Rooyen believes the season marks another important step forward for a young Lions squad that reached the URC playoffs for the first time.
“Really excited for the group and what’s possible,” he said.
“The undertone of our squad is still very young.
“It was a season of a lot of firsts if you think of Batho [Hlekani], Hash [Hashim Pead] and [Siba] Mahashe, and we have a lot of players coming through and getting used to rugby at this level.”
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Van Rooyen also offered his support to South Africa’s remaining playoff contenders, the Bulls and Stormers.
Asked whether he would share insights on Leinster with Stormers coach John Dobson, Van Rooyen replied: “Ja, I’ll be happy to share.
“Hopefully the Bulls and the Stormers carry us in the semis and the final.”
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Photo: Gallo Images
The post Cash backs young guns despite Dublin disaster appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ivan van Rooyen admitted the Lions were taught a harsh lesson by Leinster after their 59-10 defeat in Saturday’s Vodacom URC quarter-final in Dublin.
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