Scarlets clash a breaking point for Lions?
REACTION: Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen and his team are finding themselves at a crossroads following their third successive United Rugby Championship defeat.
Their 15-41 loss to Benetton in Treviso marked the Lions’ eighth consecutive defeat overseas in the URC.
They’re currently rooted in 15th place on the URC log behind the Scarlets on one point and find themselves in a desperate situation to turn their fortunes around.
The Lions will play six consecutive matches in South Africa, of which three will be at home, before they head abroad again to take on the Ospreys.
There is a lot of self-reflection that needs to be done, from the coaches down to the players, to dissect the team’s regression and how they can turn the corner in their upcoming home games.
Should they lose even two of their next three upcoming fixtures, it will be a tough road for Cash and co to reach the URC play-offs for the first time.
They’re currently equalling their worst start to a URC season, which occurred in 2023.
There are some similarities, as they lost three consecutive games before defeating the Scarlets (away) in Round Four, something they’ll need to do once more at Ellis Park this weekend.
Ironically enough, the week after they lost to Ulster, albeit away from home.
They have the opportunity to rewrite that two-match script with home advantage starting this weekend.
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The Lions mentor lamented his team’s inability to convert their opportunities into points and their soft moments that allowed Benetton to capitalise and swing the game’s momentum around.
He spoke about the improvement he has seen from his team in certain areas compared to their matches against Cardiff and Zebre.
He also highlighted the importance of winning their upcoming home fixtures against Scarlets and Ulster.
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“It was a game of huge missed opportunities from our side.
“We felt we were dominant in many aspects of the game, especially physically, but we just couldn’t convert it into points.
“Two of Benetton’s tries came directly from skill errors from our side, where they ran 80 metres to score.
“We also missed two crucial line-outs five metres out from the try line.
“On attack, we managed to put them under pressure. I felt that the connection between the forwards and backs was better this week.
“We looked more threatening on attack than we did against Cardiff.
“Unfortunately, we made too many errors and gave them the ball back.
“We know their counterattack is one of their strengths as well. They have quick outside backs.
“And especially those two long-distance tries showed their Test quality in terms of decision making and speed.
“I also felt our set-piece was a little bit more consistent compared to the game against Zebre.
“On the defensive front, we made too many individual errors.
“At some phases we looked good and dominated them, but through individual or a decision-making error, they got momentum and then you’re paddling on the back foot under pressure.
“I also spoke to their coaches afterwards, and I felt that the score wasn’t a true reflection of the physicality and pressure in the game.
“But obviously, we’re disappointed with the result and the scoreline.
“We felt that with 15 minutes to go, if we could just convert one or two of the opportunities we created, we could’ve put them under pressure in the final 10 minutes of the match and be seven points or less behind.
“We felt that we got the momentum, but unfortunately, conceded those two yellow cards during that last 10-minute period of the match.
“That almost let the game run loose and look messy, and we ended up struggling under pressure.:
Van Rooyen added: “It’s an important two weeks for us at home against Scarlets and Ulster.
“It’s important for us to get two [winning] results and keep on believing and challenging the way we want to play.”
