Johannesburg - The Lions should be rather chuffed with themselves as they enjoy some R&R on Saturday after another valorous and applied outing on Friday night in the United Rugby Championship.
Their 31-18 bonus-point victory over Cardiff Rugby wasn’t a classic by any stretch of the imagination, but then the conditions at Rodney Parade on the night were never going to allow a feast of attacking rugby. Instead, it was the team that stuck to their gameplan and their nature the best who walked away with a second win in as many weeks, and that team was the one from Joburg.
“It was quite difficult for us to see as well,” said head coach Ivan van Rooyen of the inclement weather, with a wry smile, after the match.
“It was gusty – rain into your eyes, wind into your eyes. So, for us to stay in the game in those first 45 minutes, living off scraps, was important. That try we scored on the halftime hooter was a huge confidence booster and momentum swing for us."
Indeed, as briefly touched on by Van Rooyen above, it can be argued that the Lions won this clash in the first half, despite trailing throughout those 40 minutes. They were 13-3 down as the half came to a close, but penalty try in the dying ensured they returned to the shed trailing 13-10.
Cardiff enjoyed all the ball and territory in the first stanza, playing with 55% of the possession and a whopping 71% of the territory. They had the visitors on the ropes, at times stretching them out wide but for only poor decision making and crucial handling errors to conspire against them.
But perhaps the biggest contributing factor in containing their ambition in the first half, was the Lions defence.
Last season it was an Achilles’ heel of the Joburgers, who at times allowed easy tries to slip past them early in their matches. It put them on the back-foot immediately. Not so in the last two matches in Wales, were their defence has stood firm and full of resolve.
It kept them in this game, especially in the first half when they had to battle the elements as well.
“We would like to believe that it was a combination of character and the work we did pre-season in the system,” said Van Rooyen of the team’s defensive efforts, "but also the ability of an athlete to get back onto their feet and still apply force with a bit of speed.
“It’s a bit of both,” he reiterated. “A fitter athlete can make better decisions but it is also down to character and the will to play for 80 minutes for the team. It is a huge area of growth for us there, which we are proud of but there are a lot of things to work on in the defence.
“We still had one or two soft moments, like getting trapped in the ruck for instance. I don’t think you will ever have an ideal night with zero missed tackles, but at least at this stage it hasn’t been that costly."
Once again, as stated by Van Rooyen, defence coach Jaque Fourie can be proud of how the team has applied his lessons but there is still room for improvement. As staunch as their efforts were, the Lions missed 12 tackles, completing 80 during the course of the match – most of those in the first half.
On the flip side, the Lions’ have shown much-improved game-management and decision-making; and an equally impressive calmness under pressure. Despite being under the cosh during the initial 40, they remained composed. It ensured that they could run down an eventually exhausted and demoralised Cardiff in the second half.
The Lions now have nine points as they travel to Edinburgh for their final game on tour next week Friday. They can prepare for that match full of confidence and with no pressure upon, relaxed and convivial, which will surely only aid their morale and continued growth.
Point scorers
Cardiff Rugby (13) 18 - Tries: Botham, Lewis-Hughes; Conversion: Evans; Penalties: Evans
Emirates Lions (10) 31- Tries: Penalty Try, Botha, Van den Berg, Q Horn; Conversions: Lombard (3); Penalties: Lombard