‘The feeling in the change room was that we let it slip’: Van Rooyen
REACTION: For 68 unforgettable minutes, the Lions had the taste of victory on their lips on a night that would live on in their history books for years to come.
Leading 35-17 early in the second half, the Johannesburg side looked set to pull off one of the biggest upsets in franchise history before New Zealand stormed back with four late tries to steal a dramatic 41-35 victory and remain unbeaten on their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour.
On a chilly Tuesday night, just three days after a sold-out Test at Ellis Park, the Lions gave the faithful every reason to brave the cold.
They matched the All Blacks’ intensity, attacked with ambition and even produced the rarest of sights – a pushover try against New Zealand.
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In the end costly turnovers and a drop in intensity allowed the All Blacks to claw back their way to a victory
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said the final 12 minutes overshadowed what had been an outstanding performance.
“We lost the last 12 minutes. You can look at it in two ways: be really proud of the first 68 minutes, or be really critical about the last 12,” Van Rooyen said.
“For 68 minutes we matched them with our repeated efforts. Hopefully we can fix those last 12 minutes over the next few weeks.”
He admitted fatigue eventually opened the door for the tourists.
“Once we got tired, they got around us pretty easily. There’s definitely work to do.”
Van Rooyen has repeatedly warned that the Lions are still in pre-season and not yet at peak conditioning. The clash against the All Blacks was designed to test whether they could impose their high-tempo game against one of the world’s best teams.
Despite the defeat, he walked away encouraged.
“To be in the fight for 77 minutes is a proud moment. What I liked most was the feeling in the change room – we felt we let it slip.”
The coach pinpointed two moments that changed the contest: Rieko Ioane’s intercept try and a crucial scrum sequence that swung momentum back New Zealand’s way.
“The intercept went against the way we wanted to chase. Then there were one or two scrums that went against us after we’d scored a pushover try earlier. Those were probably the defining moments.”
With the URC season still weeks away, Van Rooyen believes the performance showed the potential of this Lions squad.
“We’re still four or five weeks away from the season, so this is almost a restart,” he said.
“The boys will recover this week, then we’ve got two tough weeks of prep, a warm-up against the Sharks and then Leinster. It’s a sprint before the marathon.”
The Lions coach singled out flyhalf Chris Smith for praise after a difficult outing against Leinster earlier in pre-season.
“His goal-kicking was exceptional and he controlled the game brilliantly. He just needs to keep doing what he’s doing.”
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