Mapoe proud of his gutsy Lions

THIS SHOWED WE DEFINITELY HAVE THE BMT

Golden Lions captain Lionel Mapoe saluted the character of his players, saying their 38-35 comeback win over the Blue Bulls, after trailing 35-24 going into the final quarter at Loftus Versfeld, showed they had the temperament to go far in the Currie Cup this year.

No 8 Hacjivah Dayimani scored twice to turn the tables on the home side, but the Lions also had to spend most of the last 10 minutes defending deep in their own territory, winning a crucial scrum off the Blue Bulls and a turnover on their own line.

“Hacjivah’s tries lifted our spirits but there was never any panic, the guys showed their character and attitude. It showed we definitely have the BMT, Hacjivah was our matchwinner and we managed to pull through by a couple of points after being behind. It showed the attitude of the guys.

“A lot of the players are still learning but they will just get better. It was good to see the calmness when we were down, the guys know what they have to do. There were a lot of opportunities wasted earlier though, so we will definitely work hard on our finishing. But this competition is good because you see quality players come through, it’s a steppingstone to higher honours,” veteran Springbok centre Mapoe said after the game.

Blue Bulls coach Pote Human was bemoaning the lapses in defence and discipline that cost the home side.

“I was disappointed by the discipline, things like high tackles, neck rolls and offsides are not what the team is about. The defensive structure was there, but we missed the one-on-one tackles, the crucial ones that we let slip, and you can’t do this against that backline.

“The scrums had also been good up to that point in the last 10 minutes when we had a scrum inside the Lions’ 22, that was the vital one, we needed to get the ball out, but we lost it and it cost us the match. I’m worried now that the self-confidence of the players might have taken a knock and it’s not going to be easy going to Kimberley for the next game,” Human said.

Picture: Gallo Images NO CATCHING HIM. Lions No 8 Hacjivah Dayimani runs in for his first try during their Currie Cup match against the Blue Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.