'Success is written in ice but tomorrow the sun will shine'
SUPER RUGBY REACTION: Lions head coach Swys de Bruin was in a philosophical mood when speaking to reporters after his team’s latest defeat.
The Lions started their three-match tour of Australasia with a 20-31 defeat to the Brumbies.
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The exidous of players to Europe has really taken its toll on the Lions đź‘€
They will next face the Chiefs in Round 10 in Hamilton before a daunting showdown against the defending champions Crusaders in Round 11 in Christchurch.
When asked if his team can bounce back after their fourth defeat of the season, De Bruin was philosophical when giving his answer.
“At this stage, it’s not really about winning and losing. It sounds weird but it can’t be if you’ve got so many guys that you’re bringing in,” Be Bruin told reporters after the match.
“We lost 13 guys up front in the last year that are all playing in Europe. The loosehead [Nathan McBeth] is 20 years old.
“Hacjivah Dayimani is 20 years old. They are guys that we’re blooding and that is how you learn.
“It’s more or less the same place where we were in 2014. There are nice experienced guys, but we have to pay our dues.”
De Bruin added: “There are a lot of positives
There is a bitter taste in my mouth when you lose but what do you do?
“Success is written in ice but tomorrow the sun will shine, and you’ve got to work on it from there.
“We can’t be negative now. We can’t go into our shells – we’ve got to work harder and rectify our mistakes.”
The Lions competed in the last three Super Rugby Finals and De Bruin knows that fans are expecting a lot more from his team.
“Yes, we’ve been there. We know how tough the expectations are from us but we’re confident that you’ve got to learn to crawl before you walk.
“Today [Saturday] at stages I saw a nice attacking style that came back, but we just didn’t finish,” said De Bruin.
By Warren Fortune
@Fortune Warren
@rugby365com
