Faint roar emerges from Ellis Park ahead of mammoth challenge
REACTION: The Lions took a lot of heart from their 29-18 United Rugby Championship win against Scarlets ahead of their second home match against Ulster this coming weekend.
Following a disappointing overseas tour losing to Cardiff, Zebre and Benetton, the Lions are back to winning ways and will hope to make it two wins from as many attempts against the in-form Ulster at Ellis Park.
The match in itself wasn’t perfect. The Lions were up by two points at half-time, and a late charge secured the bonus-point victory for the Johannesburg-based outfit.
They will need to be at their clinical best if they are to upset the men from Belfast who are currently unbeaten so far this season.
Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen had praise for Ulster and identified the areas his team should focus on to get the victory.
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“They’re one of the form teams thus far this season. They’re really looking good,” Van Rooyen said.
“Our cohesion on attack should allow us to utilise the pictures we created [against Scarlets] as well as our attacking breakdown.
“We also need to ensure we have consistency all around and ensure we’re all on the same page.
“Whether that’s attack, defence or kicking set it is.
“Everyone knows what to do, whether we’re applying pressure and when we’re under it to get the best outcome for the team.”
Captain Francke Horn was a relieved man following the win and said that it would build confidence in the squad for the season ahead.
The No.8 admitted that the team has many work-ons but that they’re treading in the right direction and building confidence in the process.
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“Firstly, I’d say the feeling is one of relief,” Horn said.
“We’ve worked hard the last four weeks, although the results didn’t show it.
“We’re very grateful for the win.
“It was a bit nervy at the end, but the guys kept calm and stuck to the plan, did the basics, and we secured the five [log] points.
“There’s still a lot to fix, and it’s definitely a step in the right direction.
“This [result] will just build confidence for the team going forward.”
