VIDEO: Lions to set chaotic trap for Bulls and Sharks?
SPOTLIGHT: Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen was impressed with how his side dealt with “chaos” in Saturday’s United Rugby Championship clash against the Stormers in Johannesburg.
The home side recorded a crucial 30-23 victory and it was also their first win over their South African rivals in the competition since 2021.
Some great attacking play saw Van Rooyen’s side score three tries in the first half for a 24-6 lead at the break before they produced a strong defensive play in the second half to see off the Capetonians.
At times, the game descended into a scrappy affair, but the Lions managed things better in pressure situations.
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“I want to compliment the whole system over the last two weeks,” Van Rooyen told reporters after the match.
“I think there was a massive drive to get the energy and how we want to play.
“It might feel small, but we haven’t beaten the Stormers in a long time, so that makes it worthwhile.
“Hopefully, it brings the belief, but there are still a lot of things that we can look at.
“I think we looked a lot more comfortable under chaos, which wasn’t the case against the Bulls [in a 22-35 defeat in Johannesburg on January 25].”
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The Lions will have another two big derbies ahead of them. They will face the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld next weekend before they host the Sharks at Ellis Park on March 1.
“It’s a big month, isn’t it,” the coach added.
“We know that we want to perform more consistently against the South African teams.
“Because we play them [SA teams] twice, if you can win your home games, it can make a difference just on the general log. So today [Saturday] was important for us.
“It’s important for us to prep well for the Bulls and then it is interesting playing against the same team twice in a row.
“It’s almost a different dynamic. I am really happy with the win, but it’s tough physical games ahead.”
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Photo credit: @LionsRugbyCo
