Johannesburg - The Lions fell into old habits and reverted to type in the second half of their EPCR Challenge Cup clash against Stade Francais, and it was all the more the pity as they could have, should have, and would have won if not for themselves.
In a scrappy match in Paris that did not inspire, the Joburgers finally succumbed to a 17-7 defeat. They lead 7-0 at half-time, battling foreign conditions and unfamiliar surroundings. They should have had more - Gianni Lombard missed two easy penalties, while during the first half they controlled possession and territory but failed to convert that into meaningful points.
They could also not take advantage of the yellow card sanction to Alex Arrate. Throughout the game, from both sides, there were just too many fumbles, errors and lackadaisical mistakes. The Lions defensive efforts were helped by a substandard Pink Army, who conspired against themselves in the first half.
In the second half, the narrative was flipped as the Lions seemed to forget all the good things they had done in the first half where they played with the ball-in-hand far more, while making the correct territorial decisions.
In the second stanza they seemed to stand back somewhat, allowing Stade back into the clash and waiting for the game to come to them. During the first half while they were dictating the terms, as inaccurate as it was at times, they had 58% possession and 53% territory.
They gave that up in the second half, playing off only 33% possession and a woeful 24% territory. With such unrelenting pressure constantly on them, it was only a matter of time before their hosts rolled over them to victory.
That pressure also resulted in three yellow cards - an inexcusable statistic - to Lombard, JP Smith and Henco van Wyk; and 10 penalties in their own half. At one point they played with 13 men for close to 10 minutes.
"Looking at our first half we managed to dominate set-piece and the collisions,” said head coach Ivan van Rooyen after the game.
“We probably left three tries out there in the first half which eventually would have changed the outcome of the game. At one stage the penalty count was eight-to-one in the first half without real action from the referee.
"In the second half, we couldn't manage to get out of our half against a very strong wind, either through errors or conceding a penalty. Then they got close and into our 22.
“Also conceding three yellow cards in such a short time, will make it extremely tough to try and swing momentum back in your way.
"In cold, wet and windy conditions like we are experiencing on this tour so far, we need to capitalise playing with the wind more and find a way to gain more territory and still create attacking opportunities against the wind. We played for way too long in our own 40m from our tryline in the second half.
"For the next two games, it's important for us to grow in those areas as both games are going to be in similar conditions."
The Lions next face Dragons in their return fixture and final round of the Challenge Cup pool stages on Sunday. In spite of the loss to Stade, they should make the Round of 16 thanks to their previous draw and win, regardless of the outcome against the Welsh franchise.
They are currently third in Pool B on eight points, trailing runaway leaders Scarlets by six points. More importantly, however, Bayonne are eighth and dumped out of the tournament, while six-placed Pau and the seventh-placed Free State Cheetahs play against each other this weekend, with one of those teams being knocked out of the top six required for progression.
The Lions can still fail to make the next phase of the tournament but a string of unfortunate and uncontrollable events will have to unfold. That, however, will haunt their subconscious as they prepare for this weekend.
@FreemanZAR