Lions cash in at the end

Never mind smash and grab. The Lions’ last-gasp 20-18 win in the United Rugby Championship (URC) was perhaps more a case of cash and carry.

Lions head coach Ivan “Cash” van Rooyen helped mastermind an extraordinary come-from-behind win over the Sharks whom they had not beaten in Durban since 2017. But while the win was sweet it was also emotionally draining. 

Van Rooyen was tearful at the final whistle after his team overturned a halftime deficit of 18-3.

His pep talk at the break helped inspire his players who had hardly fired a shot in anger in the opening half.

“We just didn’t play,” Van Rooyen pointed out. His team showed a distinct lack of ambition and were committing far too many elementary errors. The Sharks' urgency in defence also helped contain the visitors who leaked two first-half tries.

The Lions’ poor tactical kicking also contributed to their being stuck in their own half in the opening 40 minutes.

“They just managed to pin us in the right areas,” said Van Rooyen. “We gave ball back too easily. The main message was that if we want to win this we’ve gotta start playing.”

The Lions played with greater purpose after the break. While their line-out remained wonky they found traction in the scrum and in particular the maul. They earned a penalty try from one before captain Marius Louw scored from the back of another with three minutes to go.

Sanele Nohamba’s nerveless conversion from an acute angle against his former team helped seal the win.

“Our territory game was a bit better in the second half. We managed to get a bit of quick ball. The set piece came through in the end,” said the head coach.

His team had shown tremendous resolve as they confounded fears that they would be undercooked as a result of a three-week break. Louw, Henco van Wyk, Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Ruan Venter helped turn the tide in the second half. 

“We talked a lot about togetherness and toughness,” said Van Rooyen of his team’s developing fortitude. “It is unbelievable that the players are driving it. It comes from within. It matters. They train hard. They are putting their bodies on the line. Eventually, it is starting to show on the field. That is nice to see.”

The relief after recording a rare win in Durban was palpable for the Lions. Van Rooyen said it meant everything to the group. “To see the elation, the emotion — what it means to them. There were a couple of tears shed in the coaches’ box even. It was a big occasion, a big win and an important time for us.”

The Lions are on a good run of form with six wins from their last seven matches in the URC and the Challenge Cup.

They fly to Montpellier on Tuesday for their next engagement in the latter competition. “It's nice and cold there so it will be a different challenge. Then it is back here against the Ospreys and the Bulls, so January is quite busy for us,” said Van Rooyen.