Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen said his team must play much better when they meet the Bulls in their next United Rugby Championship (URC) match. The Jukskei derby will be played at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria.
The Lions beat the Ospreys 35-19 at Ellis Park on Saturday and earned a bonus point. It was their second win from two matches, after they beat defending champions Leinster 27-26 in the first round.
“Today’s performance won’t be enough against the Bulls next week,” Van Rooyen said, according to IOL. “It’s a typical derby, so it’s going to be massive set-piece, huge physicality.”
He added that the Bulls now want to play a more open game. He said this makes them dangerous, but also gives the Lions a chance.
The Lions made many mistakes in the first half and trailed 12-10 at the break. After half-time they scored five tries, with their forwards taking control of the game.
Captain Francke Horn said the forwards decided at half-time to take the game to the Ospreys through the maul.
“We came in at half-time and said, ‘Listen, it’s not working out wide for us today,’ and sometimes that does happen,” Horn said. “The forwards said we need to roll up our sleeves and make sure we get some maul tries.”
Van Rooyen said the Ospreys were a tough side that keep coming back when a team is not accurate. He said the Lions lost some early lineouts and could not build any momentum.
“At half-time we really simplified and just said, ‘Find a way,'” he said. “It was a lot better in the second half, and I’m really proud of the guys for just finding a way.”
The Lions beat the Bulls 43-33 in Pretoria last season. Van Rooyen said that match came during a period of change for the Bulls, and he expects a very different game this time.
“They’ve got some real speed out wide, they’ve got some good pack of forwards and grunt upfront,” he said. “We won’t be blind to know that it’s a new week, new opportunity and different game.”
Two Springboks could return to the starting team for the derby. Scrumhalf Morné van den Berg and utility back Quan Horn both came off the bench in the second half against the Ospreys.
Asked if both players would start against the Bulls, Van Rooyen answered, “Probably.”
Their return will give the coach hard choices. Boeta Chamberlain and Nico Steyn both played well in the first two matches of the season.
“I think Boeta has been a breath of fresh air for us,” Van Rooyen said. “Nico is also probably playing the rugby of his life, so it’s good, healthy competition for us.”
The Lions have nine points from their first two matches. “We’ll take the five points, but we’ve got to get better because next week is going to demand it,” Van Rooyen said.
Source: this article is based on reporting by IOL Sport. Image: IOL Sport. Written with the help of AI and published by the Tzaneen Voice Sports desk. See our Editorial Standards.
Tiyani Mathebula writes about sport for Tzaneen Voice. Tiyani covers Bafana Bafana, the Springboks, the Proteas and the PSL, along with athletics, tennis and local club sport. Match reports and previews focus on results, team news, fixtures and what each game means for South African teams and fans.