Flyhalf Nohamba gets the plaudits as Lions sense momentum shift in URC
REACTION: Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen had plenty of praise for Sanele Nohamba after the player produced a man-of-the-match performance against Scarlets in Llanelli on Saturday.
The 24-year-old, who is normally a scrumhalf, looked in control of the game at flyhalf and he converted all three tries and added a penalty in the 24-23 win.
It was also his quick thinking that led to the try for PJ Botha in the 51st minute of the game.
It was a big decision by Van Rooyen to give the No.10 jersey to Nohamba ahead of the match, but it all paid off in the end.
“I think after a win you will always say it worked out,” said Van Rooyen.
“I think Morne [van den Berg] and Sanele offered us something a little bit different in the kicking game and attack-wise.
“We will reassess for next week, but Sanele is a quality player. He is a great rugby player.
“The more times you can get the ball in his hands the more decisions he can make, which is good.”
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The moment the Emirates @LionsRugbyCo secured the W 🤩#BKTURC #URC | #SCAvLIO pic.twitter.com/HIlIc4qWld
— BKT United Rugby Championship (URC) (@URCOfficial) November 11, 2023
After three narrow defeats in the opening rounds of the competition, the Lions finally found themselves on the right side of the scoreboard.
“We were very lucky. I think that’s the difference in a competition like this. It is small margins,” the Lions coach explained.
“Luckily, it was on our side and last weekend [against Benetton] it wasn’t.
“We gave ourselves the opportunity by staying in there every time we conceded points. We applied pressure back onto them and luckily it worked out for us.”
Van Rooyen will want his team to carry the momentum created by this win into a very tough fixture against Ulster in Belfast next weekend.
“Any win is good. Away from home and in tough European conditions is even better.
“We know that it is going to be tough in Ulster, but’s almost like a momentum shift and the positive talk and the energy is already different.
“Obviously. we will get a little bit of confidence out of this.”
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