Benetton hoodoo: Cash still seeking answers
REACTION: Suffering a fifth consecutive defeat to Benetton, Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted he’s struggling for answers as his side came up short yet again.
Benetton staged a composed second-half comeback to open their Challenge Cup campaign with an impressive 26-18 away victory against the Lions at Ellis Park on Saturday.
The men from Johannesburg haven’t beaten the Italians in their last five outings. In November 2023, the Lions had lost 10-15 in the United Rugby Championship; in April last year (Challenge Cup), they lost 17-24. In April this year, the score was 31-42 (URC), and in October, they were beaten convincingly by 41-15 URC).
Van Rooyen conceded that his charges ran out of energy in the last quarter as the visitors stepped up a gear after Kelly Mpeku got his marching orders for a deliberate knock-on in the 68th minute.
The Italians capitalised as substitute So’otala Fa’aso’o offloaded brilliantly to Leonardo Marin, who sliced through the defensive line for the visitors’ second try. Tomas Albornoz converted to make it 18-18.
With momentum firmly on their side, Benetton struck again three minutes later as Marin grabbed his second try of the afternoon after another slick backline move, giving the visitors a 23-18 lead despite a missed conversion.
As the Lions looked to force a late response, Benetton shut down their attacking threats before Albornoz delivered the final blow with a superb drop goal in the dying moments to seal the 26-18 win.
Van Rooyen conceded that the result left him bitterly disappointed, especially coming off a sterling victory over the Bulls a week earlier.
“We looked much sharper last week against the Bulls,” Van Rooyen said.
“We came into this game with momentum after the last three games and had a really good week of preparation.
“We’ve now lost against Benetton in this same encounter last year as well as earlier in the United Rugby Championship, so we wanted to come out with a bang, but we were just not accurate enough.”
“It’s a very big disappointment, to be honest. It’s a frustration. And it’s not just me, it’s not just the players. We have to improve at home.”
The coach agreed that fatigue played a role in the loss.
“We were disappointed with the energy. Some of it is execution, some of it’s stopping momentum. We were a lot sharper last week. Benetton poses a different threat. Their first seven to eight defenders are probably the best in the competition in terms of stopping momentum.
“At home, you need to put on a much better performance.”
Van Rooyen once again stressed the Lions’ intention of reaching the play-off stage, but realises the odds are stacking up against them.
“The goal will always be to be in a position to play the Round of 16 and the quarterfinal at home. The problem now is that you have two away games and one at home left. So it’s either win all three or win two with five points.
“And then it’s points difference, and it gets technical when you put it in other people’s hands.”
“For now, we focus on Newcastle next week as another opportunity. I hear it is very cold there, so that is a challenge.”
The next fixture in the Lions’ campaign is the Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park next Saturday.
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