Ivan van Rooyen insists the Lions will draw strength from an “incredibly difficult tour” and regroup before turning their attention to a Jukskei derby rematch in December.
Van Rooyen’s Pride lost 29-20 to the Glasgow Warriors at Scotstoun in round five of the URC on Friday night, their third successive away defeat across all competitions.
Glasgow led 19-3 at half-time before the Lions hit back with tries from Morné van den Berg, Siba Mahashe and Morné Brandon, only for Ollie Smith’s late try for the hosts and George Horne’s stoppage-time penalty to deny the visitors a losing bonus point.
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“The character we showed to fight back in the second half was great to see,” said Van Rooyen. “We found a way to start playing against a very organised defence by generating quick ball. We struggled to get that in the first half.”
However, flyhalf Chris Smith’s chest injury from the encounter is a concern for the Lions boss.
“Unfortunately there’s no update as yet. His pectoral area is quite sore. We will do scans etcetera upon arrival back home,” Van Rooyen explained.
The three-week trip began with a 31-14 Investec Champions Cup defeat by La Rochelle, played a day after the death of lock Hyron Andrews.
The following Friday the Lions lost 31-10 to Edinburgh, whose crowd applauded Andrews before kick-off.
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“It was an incredibly difficult tour in the bigger scheme of things,” said Van Rooyen. “The character we showed during the La Rochelle and Glasgow games is something we are proud of.
“The Edinburgh game week was exceptionally tough mentally and unfortunately it showed a bit in the game.
“Heading into the week of Glasgow, the senior players were immense in terms of team identity and playing style; taking ownership and leading by example.
“Throughout the three weeks, I honestly believe the management was truly unbelievable. We are truly blessed to have incredible people in our team,” he added.
“The heart and the character to stand up and fight for each other was incredible.”
The URC pauses in November for international fixtures. The Lions then host the Bulls, who beat them 57-15 at Loftus Versfeld in October for their first URC defeat of the season, on 5 December.
“We are going to rest for two weeks, then straight into two weeks of preparation before we take on the Bulls early December,” Van Rooyen concluded.
Photo: Manuel Blondeau/Inpho
The post Cash hails Lions’ heart, character appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Ivan van Rooyen insists the Lions will draw strength from an “incredibly difficult tour” and regroup before turning their attention to a Jukskei derby rematch in December.
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