‘We left it all out on the field’
WHITELEY: THE BULLS ARE A FANTASTIC SIDE
Skipper proud of his men for their stirring fightback.
The Lions are taking their narrow 35-33 Super Rugby loss to cross-Jukskei rivals the Bulls on the chin. The defeat saw their fivematch winning run come to an end and Joburg’s Pride are hungry to get back on the horse this weekend against the unpredictable Highlanders at Ellis Park.
“I think we were good in some parts at Loftus. I think we can take a lot of positives out of the game, there were just some crucial turnovers and mistakes on our part that let us down,” said captain Warren Whiteley, whose 159 tackles is the most in this season’s competition.
“The Bulls are a fantastic side and they really worked hard for the win. They deserved it. For us it’s another big game this week, so we’ll get back to the drawing board.”
After hooker Robbie Coetzee pulled out prior to the game, Akker van der Merwe had to start, with Mark Pretorius winning a place on the bench. The reshuffl ing could have played a role in their lineout struggle.
“We probably had the edge in the scrums, but also in the second half they got stronger there. They definitely had us in the lineouts and put some pressure on us, but it was a fantastic game,” said Whiteley.
“The Bulls were just better than us on the day. I think they were more clinical, especially at the set-pieces. I really enjoyed it. It was a helluva game and both sides produced some fantastic tries.”
Despite a slow start which saw them trailing 25-10, Whiteley said they fought back well.
“I think eventually we did get going and we played some good rugby. I’m proud of the team and I think we left it all out on the field,” he said.