'Quite a few niggles': Lions to keep a close eye on stalwart
REACTION: The Lions will be hoping that they don’t have a big casualty list ahead of their Jukskei derby against the Bulls at Ellis Park next weekend.
Ivan van Rooyen’s side arrived in Johannesburg in the early hours of Sunday morning after their 24-all draw with Ospreys in Bridgend on Friday.
Van Rooyen will know the full extent of the “niggles” that his players sustained in the match in the coming days, including the one that forced captain Francke Horn off the field in the second half.
Horn was a standout performer in the draw, scoring two of his team’s four tries.
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“In terms of injuries, there are quite a few niggles,” said Van Rooyen, adding, “Hopefully it’s not too serious. We will know more about Francke on Monday afternoon.
“It’s bumps and bruises, and obviously, the travel doesn’t help with that, but we are not foreseeing anything too hectic at this stage.
“It’s a big week for us, and we are excited to play against a Bulls team that has found a bit of form again.”
Ahead of that Round 11 showdown with Johan Ackermann’s side, Van Rooyen will be encouraged by his team’s performance in Bridgend, especially after they fought back from being 5-19 down in dreadful conditions.
“It’s been a tough two weeks in terms of travel – a tough two weeks in terms of weather,” said Van Rooyen.
“In that second half of that Ospreys game, the real-feel temperature was minus five, and the wind was blowing 60 kilometres per hour. We spoke about it quite a bit in Perpignan [in the Champions Cup] as well, and we want to embrace the tough times.
“We came through so much the last two or three years, we feel in circumstances like that, we can actually reveal who we are.
“I’m proud of the effort and proud of the toughness [against Ospreys]. I think the difference between three points and five points was the discipline in the second half.
“It’s just too many penalties conceded from our side.
“We will take the three [points], and obviously we wanted four. We scored four tries, so it could’ve been five.
“We are disappointed in that sense, but in terms of the team and where we are, our growth and what we want to stand for and what we want to represent, I think it was really exciting to see.”
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