Missed chances are fatal for the Lions, says coach
Missed opportunities proved fatal for the Lions when they slumped to a 34-26 loss to the Sharks in Durban, coach Ivan van Rooyen said.
This was a second consecutive Rainbow Cup SA defeat for the Lions who will be desperate to get on the winning track when they face the Stormers on Saturday.
After two rounds, the Bulls and the Sharks are the only teams still boasting unbeaten records.
“I felt we were good enough to win the game and we had enough opportunities to win the game and I think that’s why it hurts so much,” Van Rooyen said.
“The guys really got stuck in there for 80 minutes and I really felt we improved in the second half.
“We looked desperate and our execution improved and that adds to the frustration.”
The Lions were left to rue a slow start, which allowed the Sharks to race into a healthy 245 lead after 30 minutes.
“The first 30 minutes was frustrating for us, but I felt we came back well in the last 10 minutes.
“The Sharks put every facet of ours under pressure in the first 10 minutes.
“They started off well and we looked quite flat to be honest, but once we got the ball and once we got playing, we looked and felt a lot better.”
A frustrated Van Rooyen has called for a huge effort from his men at Ellis Park in the third round.
“It’s important we keep on moving forward in all departments,” he said.
“We improved our maul defence from the Preparation Series and our defence fronted up.
“If we can just cut down our error rate at vital times, I think that will make a big difference.”
Sharks coach Sean Everitt said the Preparation Series had given him the opportunity to test his fringe players.
“I’m trying to get consistency into the team and in selection, especially for the first two to three weeks,” he said.
“We used the Preparation Series to test our depth and everyone in the squad got two games and that was pleasing for us to know where we are.
“We’ve got good depth in our squad and the guys who will replace the top dogs will be ready.
“Conceding 18 penalties is not a great way to play rugby, but we have to look at the positives.
“The guys are trying very hard to put together phases on attack,” Everitt said.
“When the guys were down to 13 men, they showed remarkable character to keep the Lions out, with the one scrum being the example.”
“The maul stoppages were also excellent, and our defence was good.
“It was a better performance than last week against the Stormers, but the discipline issue remains.”
Thomas du Toit and Fezokuhle Mbatha were sin-binned when the Sharks held a 24-12 lead.
However, Everitt’s team were able to hold the Lions at bay during the period Du Toot and Mbatha were off the field after being sin binned within two minutes of one another.
The Sharks coach also had a word of praise for new signing Siya Kolisi.
“Siya’s adapting well to the style of play and his contributions in the game are getting better and better,” Everitt said.
“You will have noticed that his conditioning has improved a lot and he got through 70 minutes of work.
“We’re happy with where he is and how he was able to push through.
“You may think he doesn’t make many contributions, but when he makes them, they’re hugely effective and they do influence the game.”