Lions limp away from victory
Lions centre Lionel Mapoe has a potential broken hand, Johannes Jonker will need to be assessed following a head knock and Jaco van der Walt has, at best, damaged some ligaments.
Despite the injuries putting a damper on the victory, Lions head coach Johan Ackermann was pleased with the performance.
"Credit must go to our guys as they raised their standards to a level we feel we want to play at. I must admit that we were quite nervous heading into the game because of the experience they [the Reds] have in their team.
"However, we are very pleased with the result, even though the injuries we suffered put a damper on our mood. Our depth will be tested now, which is not a good thing so early in the competition," he said.
Despite scoring seven tries, the Lions' defence coach JP Ferreira was a bit concerned with the lack of discipline which allowed the Reds to score towards the end of the game.
"Our bench needs to know that they have got to bring the same intensity [on defence] as the starters. The score would have looked better if we kept them scoreless," Ferreira said.
Ackermann felt that the red card made a massive difference in the game, although he feels that Quade Cooper may not have deserved it.
"I don't know if he [Cooper] deserved a red card but that changed the game and it made a different. They [Reds] were forced to work a lot harder and ended up chasing the game and that created opportunities for us.
"I believe we were in control and showed good composure. Hopefully, that is a good sign that the senior players are getting match fit.
"We felt rushed when we were inside their 22 but we knew, beforehand, that we needed to remain patient. Although leaving points out there in the first half was frustrating, we knew that the damage was slowly being done.
Ackermann received plaudits from his counterpart Nick Stiles and the Lions head coach had a few words of encouragement for the Reds coach.
"Coming up with a game plan is a process and Nick is new to the Reds, so they need to get used to him. They have experienced players, so the effort needs to be collective.
"When we started a few years ago, we looked at what plan would suit the players we have and I think they need to do the same as well," Ackermann added.
