Another false dawn and another loss. The Lions seem to have reverted to type as they suffered a fifty-point demolition at the hands of the Vodacom Bulls in their Vodacom United Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park on Saturday.
While there was a lot of hope going into the match, coach Ivan van Rooyen said afterwards they were “sloppy,” and captain Francke Horn bemoaned the way the team played. But there was no escaping the point that in every facet, the Lions were outplayed, out-thought and out-maneuvered by a Bulls team that arrived with intent.
It unfortunately signified what has become a repeated situation across the seven seasons that Van Rooyen has been in charge. Blessed with some of the best rising stars in the country and certainly a team that can take it to any opposition, the Lions are frustratingly inconsistent when it comes to games they need to target to win.
SHARKS AND BULLS PASS LIONS ON LOG
The result is the Lions drop out of the top eight of the URC again, lying now 10th on the log as both the Bulls and Sharks moved past them with victories this past weekend. If this inconsistency continues, the Lions will again be missing out on a place in the Investec Champions Cup and continue with the mediocrity they have found themselves in these past few seasons.
On Saturday, there was no doubt about it. They were outplayed and the scoreline reflects that. And now, with two important derby games left - against the Sharks and Stormers - both of which are home games on 21 and 28 February, two more losses will mean their chances of making the top eight are increasingly becoming a long shot.
The Lions will take heart from the fact that traditionally, they have been a lot better against the coastal teams, including a big home win against them last season, and will hope to strike that purple patch of form again.
Horn called for accountability after the game. He seemed stunned by what had just happened to his side.
ACCOUNTABILITY NEEDED
“Every player needs to take accountability for their job,” Horn said. “I think we lost five or six line-outs, and we probably didn’t get more than one or two phases, especially in the second half.
“I mean, the last try we scored, we kept the ball for five phases, and we scored easily. And that’s a big frustration. So players need to take accountability for what they did out there.
“Obviously, it’s a team sport, but the individual must also do his part.
“Nothing in a week’s prep led us to perform like that today. But definitely the pressure and the slow start got to us, and it’s just not a good enough performance.”
Van Rooyen echoed that, saying it was “sloppy” from the players.
“In that first half, I don’t think we managed to get the ball through two phases, maybe not even three, so just sloppy,” Van Rooyen said.
“You make an error, they get the ball, then you concede momentum. So I think the frustration in the first half was errors and momentum.”
And there was nothing wrong with the preparation heading into the game.
“We were happy with the prep, with the pictures, with how we wanted to play.
“Just on the day, the execution was not accurate enough,” the coach said, repeating a line he has used so often over the past few seasons.
ERRORS COSTLY
“We conceded a lot of momentum, and then I think in the latter stages, in the second half, the energy dropped a little bit. Then it’s tough to recover. The more we tried to manufacture something, again, the errors were too much. The Bulls just punished us.”
The next few weeks will leave the Lions with a lot of reflection before the Sharks arrive to face them. A Sharks side that completed the double over the Stormers and will be keen to continue the momentum under new coach JP Pietersen.
The Lions will need to show a response, or their season will be just as it has been for the past six years. A lot of promise, but sunk in disappointment.