VIDEO - Lions captain on Zebo incident: 'They fell for it'
REACTION:The Lions conceded that they were outsmarted by Munster during their United Rugby Championship Round 15 clash in Johannesburg.
The Irish province produced a clinical performance on their way to a 33-13 victory at Ellis Park.
The Lions dominated territory and possession for large periods of the game, but they could not transfer that into points when it mattered during the 80 minutes.
Instead, Munster made full use of their opportunities to outscore the home side by four tries to one.
After the match, Lions coach Ivan Van Rooyen and captain Marius Louw hinted that some gamesmanship might have been at play during the game.
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“I don’t think we’ve been outplayed in general terms,” said Van Rooyen. “I think we have been outsmarted a little bit.”
He added: “They dictated the tempo. Whether it was legal or illegal, they really messed up your attacking breakdown.
“Eventually you have to send numbers in there or your ball is always kind of slow.
“The result is disappointing after the Leinster match, but I don’t think the effort or performance was disappointing.
“The outcome didn’t go our way, but penalties and skill errors are the big thing.”
Munster took the game by the scruff of the neck just before half-time when Louw received a yellow card for taking out Simon Zebo without the ball when he was close to scoring.
Referee Craig Evans also awarded Munster a penalty try after the incident.
“I can’t say from his point of view, but from my point of view it wasn’t intentional,” said Louw.
“He is a very experienced player and I think he did exceptionally well and sold it to them and they [referee and TMO] fell for it.”
Van Rooyen said the frustration in his camp was growing as the match went on.
“I think it’s the first game where no bounce went our way,” said the coach.
“Every bounce seemed to have gone their way.
“From upstairs [in the coaching box] you could feel them dictating the tempo of the game.
“Whether they were sitting or playing, they were still dictating the game and once they got ahead, they just managed to squeeze us.
“When you don’t get the tempo and you don’t get into the game, obviously you feel frustrated.”
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