Ivan van Rooyen reflects on Lions’ difficult European tour
REACTION: Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen has praised the character and resilience shown by his players and management during what he described as an “incredibly difficult tour” after their 20-29 defeat to Glasgow Warriors on Friday night.
The Lions suffered their third consecutive away defeat across all competitions at Scotstoun in Round Five of the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, despite a spirited second-half comeback.
Glasgow held a 19-3 half-time lead before the visitors fought back with tries from Morné van den Berg, Siba Mahashe and Morné Brandon. However, Ollie Smith’s late try and a George Horne penalty in stoppage time denied the Lions a losing bonus point.
Van Rooyen also provided an update on flyhalf Chris Smith, who left the field in the 25th minute with a chest injury.
“Unfortunately, there’s no update as yet. His pectoral area (chest) is quite sore. We will do scans etc upon arrival back home,” he said.
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Reflecting on the performance, Van Rooyen was pleased with the way his side responded after the break, particularly their ability to find ways through Glasgow’s organised defence.
“The character we showed to fight back in the second half was great to see. 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.”
He said the half-time discussion focused on improving their ability to secure quick possession and tightening up their defensive work.
“We identified that we had to fix a few aspects in order for us to start getting quick ball. There was space out there, we just couldn’t capitalise and get there in the first half.
“It was important for us to try and stamp our game on them. We also needed to fix one or two things in defence that we had to be better at.”
The Lions coach acknowledged that the three-week tour had tested his squad, particularly during the build-up to their match against Edinburgh.
The Lions’ three-week tour began with a 14-31 Investec Champions Cup defeat to La Rochelle, played just a day after the death of lock Hyron Andrews. They then suffered a 10-31 loss to Edinburgh the following Friday, with the home crowd paying tribute to Andrews with a round of applause before kick-off.
“It was an incredibly difficult tour in the bigger scheme of things. 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.”
Van Rooyen reserved special praise for his senior players, who stepped up to reinforce the team’s identity and playing style ahead of the Glasgow encounter.
“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.”
He also praised the management team for the role they played throughout the demanding tour.
“Throughout the three weeks, I honestly believe the management was truly unbelievable. We are truly blessed to have incredible people in our team.
“The heart and the character to stand up and fight for each other was incredible.”
The Lions will now take a two-week break before beginning preparations for the Jukskei Derby against the Bulls at 10bet Ellis Park 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 said.
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