VIDEO: The 'bigger picture' looks promising for Lions
REACTION: Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen said there was a lot to be proud of after his side ended their three-match United Rugby Championship tour in Dublin on Saturday.
The Johannesburg team produced a gutsy performance against Leinster, but they eventually fell to a 6-24 defeat in their final tour match.
That result came after wins against the Dragons (in Newport) and Zebre (in Parma).
The Lions also didn’t have the best start to the week ahead of the Leinster clash with Storm Ashley disrupting their travel from Parma to Dublin.
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“I think we travelled 31 hours and not once was there a negative word coming from the group,” said Van Rooyen.
“Not once were their heads hanging. That speaks a lot about our character and where we are and what we want to represent.
“Looking at the bigger picture, it was tough, it was tight, but it was a good opportunity for us to get close as a group.
“To get two out of three wins – there was a lot to fix, but a lot to be proud of.”
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‘Losing the small battles’
On his team’s performance against Leinster, Van Rooyen added: “The workrate and our character were good.
“The guys really got stuck in out there, but the accuracy was a little bit lacking from our side.
“We created one or two opportunities which we couldn’t capitalise on and there were one or two exits which kept us under pressure, so we probably lost the small battles and not the big ones.”
The Lions also lost their star fullback Quan Horn (Head Injury Assessment} early in the game which meant that Edwill van Merwe had to shift to the No.15 position.
“Quan is a vital part of our attack and counterattack and he offers us a left foot as well, so that was a big loss for us,” said Van Rooyen.
“Edwill has been training there a little bit and we thought with the way we wanted to play it will suit us.
“Quan got a ding that got picked up by the mouthguard and he failed his HIA, but he should be fine.”
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