Lions battle but get the win
Impatience on attack was pinpointed as one of the main reasons for the struggle the Lions experienced in a 28-25 win over the Cheetahs in their Super Rugby opener in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
The visitors, who suffered a massive blow with centre Howard Mnisi ruled out for up to nine months due to a knee injury, had to fight back twice from deficits of 16-6 and 22-16.
“There’s definitely a lot to work on regarding our attacking game,” Lions coach Johan Ackermann said yesterday.
“I think we were very impatient and didn’t build enough phases.”
While players like flyhalf Elton Jantjies and scrumhalf Faf de Klerk did not look sharp, centre Harold Vorster and scrumhalf Ross Cronje made significant impacts from the bench.
“Our kicking game was not great. A few times we kicked the ball dead and didn’t place it very well, and while we know there are areas of concern, we were blessed with a win,” Ackermann said.
“The guys from the bench did what was required to pull the game out of the bag.”
Cronje made the vital break that enabled centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg, who played the majority of the game on the right wing, to score the match-winner with three minutes left.
“I’m very relieved we pulled it through,” Ackermann said.
“Credit to the Cheetahs who played very well, but I’m very proud of the guys that they didn’t panic when we were trailing and managed to stay in the contest.”
With the half-time score locked at 6-6, the Lions played the big moments well but still conceded numerous penalties.
“I don’t think it’s bad if you win like this after you haven’t played great rugby and managed to stay in reach of the opposition,” Ackermann said.
“We still showed the required composure to stay on the right side of the scoreboard.”
Mnisi underwent a scan yesterday, the Lions confirmed, and he could be out for the rest of the season, with damage to multiple ligaments requiring surgery.