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Lions players celebrate during their URC mauling of the Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon. Picture: Gallo Images
The Lions showed their mettle by putting in their best performance of the season to maul the Sharks 38-14 in their United Rugby Championship (URC) derby at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.
It was the perfect response after their 31-19 loss to the Bulls at Loftus a week earlier, and put them right back into the playoff mix, lifting them to ninth on the URC table.
It was also their second win in five local derbies this season, after they beat the Stormers also at Ellis Park last month, and gives them great momentum to take into their second derby game against the Sharks at Kings Park in Durban next weekend.
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen was a happy man after the game, admitting that it was their best performance of the season and was a testament to the hard work they had put in ahead of the match.
“I am unbelievably proud of the work rate and performance. It was probably the best we have played in terms of game management and understanding how we want to play under the circumstances,” said Van Rooyen.
“We put a huge emphasis on work rate this week. They (the Sharks) showed against the Bulls (win at Loftus earlier in February) that they are fit, tough and quick, so I was really proud of the effort.
“If you look at the weather (the rain poured down in the first half) and week we had with one or two injuries, this was probably our best performance of the season.”
The Sharks did not send a weakened team for the match, and although they were missing a few injured stars, they still had nine current Springboks in their match 23, and it was a surprise to many how they were bossed over the game.
The Lions thus will take a lot of confidence into the match in Durban, but Van Rooyen admits that they will continue to work hard and won’t be complacent, especially after they let the Sharks in for two late tries in the dying moments of the game.
“The last five minutes has done that for me (brought them back to earth). I am obviously disappointed with that, letting them back in,” explained Van Rooyen.
“We have changed the way we have trained the past month. So it’s important for us to continue developing that. We have to keep on focusing on what is working for us and make sure that we get the small things right. I can promise you that we won’t be complacent.”
Following next weekend’s match the Lions will have a week off before heading off on their URC tour to the UK, while the Sharks will also have a weekend off before hosting Zebre.
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