Lions fighting spirit hailed

Coach Swys de Bruin and captain Warren Whiteley lauded the Lions’ resilience on defence after they recorded their maiden win in Argentina over the Jaguares on Saturday night.

The Lions ran out 25-16 winners with flanker Marnus Schoeman dotting down three times for the visitors to help get their campaign off to a winning start.

“Defence always tells me about the players’ mind set and how hungry they are‚” said De Bruin.

“It was wonderful to see. The ball was wet and it was difficult to play an attacking game. We knew we had to back our defence.

“At half-time I again challenged the guys about their defence‚” said De Bruin‚ whose team held a slender three-point lead going into the break.

They took the strategic position not to overplay with ball in hand.

“People at home have to know how greasy the ball was‚” noted De Bruin.

“It was 34 degrees when we ran on and that our defence would have to take over. We tackled them into mistakes that I haven’t seen for a while.

“We couldn’t focus on attack because we couldn’t play. It was one of those games that if you win it you’re just so glad. The guys really showed a lot of guts,” said Whiteley.

The skipper was equally pleased with the team’s performance when they had their backs to the wall‚ particularly in the second half.

“We knew over here it is always physical. It is won upfront and the Jaguares always keep the ball in hand. They are very direct. Their forwards come around the corner and they come hard.”

The Lions exacted timely turnovers at the scrum‚ and at the ruck with on-loan signing Carlu Sadie playing a strong hand.