Fighting Lions fill coach with hope after Cup final
Despite the first-half carnage in his side’s Currie Cup final defeat to the Cheetahs‚ Golden Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen found some encouraging signs to take into next season.
The Lions lost 31-28 to the Cheetahs, and while the scoreline suggests an arm wrestle‚ it was far from it.
The Cheetahs were up 31-7 at the break and it was a late rally from the Lions that first brought respectability and then an outside chance of winning the game. For them‚ however‚ it was a case of too little‚ too late.
“To see how heartbroken they are in the change room is actually exciting‚” said Van Rooyen. “Maybe one more minute he said.
But to be fair‚ his team were outplayed in the first half and it would have been a travesty had they won. Still‚ his young side showed great fighting spirit.
“I reckon you can praise their character. Young guys who want to play. At the start we looked a lot at what the opponents were doing. It must have been an attractive match to watch‚” said Van Rooyen about the free-flowing spectacle in the first half.
The Cheetahs looked destined to run away with it as the first half drew to a close, but the Lions copped a lucky break after the interval.
“We knew it wasn’t too far. The try that was disallowed after halftime made a big difference‚” said Van Rooyen about the Cheetahs’ disallowed try.
For Van Rooyen, the match represented what the Lions had been doing throughout the campaign. “It is great to see young guys fighting for something they believe in. Bar the semifinal, the biggest winning or losing margin was three points.”