Van Rooyen proud of Lions’ ‘most significant’ win
Fans jubilant after 23-21 victory over Munster
The Lions produced the greatest win so far from an SA franchise in the United Rugby Championship when they defeated Irish giants Munster 23-21 to claim a second win in a row at the weekend.
The Lions overturned a 21-10 halftime deficit and after the final whistle the limited crowd who attended the match at Ellis Park gave them a standing ovation for their spirited display, the sounds of jubilation filling the venue.
The whole team pulled their weight, from man-of-the-match Vincent Tshituka to try scorer Edwill van der Merwe, Wandisile Simelane and Jordan Hendrikse, the man with the magic boot who collected 13 points. The team’s efforts were seen in their defensive display as they kept Munster from scoring in the second half.
The win saw the Lions move to 13th place in the table. Above all, the win felt like confirmation that the rebuilding process headed by Ivan van Rooyen is on the right track and has the backing of the fans.
“I’m proud, I’m very proud, you can feel the buzz and the energy between the players and fans," said Van Rooyen after the historic win.
“It makes the hard work we are currently doing worthwhile. We are obviously happy with the result. I think the manner, the way [we won] is what I’m probably proudest of.
“As the head coach, this is the most significant one, not because we won; the manner in which we won, it shows character. There’s a fine line between character and confidence.
“Last weekend’s result gave us confidence, we always knew there was character, there are unbelievable men in the changing room that are training really hard to get us where we need to be,” said Van Rooyen.
The Lions will hope that the URC momentum will be passed on to the Currie Cup team, which is led by Mzwakhe Nkosi. They will return to action when they host the Blue Bulls at Ellis Park on Wednesday (8pm).