Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen said he would focus on putting the players in pressure situations in training for them to get better as their horrid season continues.
This comes after the Lions lost 33-10 to the Stormers at Ellis Park on Saturday, their fourth straight defeat in the United Rugby Championship. The Lions are now in 14th place on the URC table.
Against the Stormers, they continued with their trend of being leaky in the defence, with the players and the system being questionable. The visitors from Cape Town carved them open as Hacjivah Dayimani, Seabelo Senatla, Sergeal Petersen and Deon Fourie all crossed the white line. Flyhalf Mannie Libbok had his scoring boots on as he kicked three conversions and slotted two penalties.
The Lions only managed to dot down later in the match when feisty scrumhalf Morne van den Berg finished a well-worked move. Van den Berg's try was the only moment where the Lions showed spark in the Stormers half.
"Unfortunately, that was the story of the game. We had six or seven 22metre entries and we couldn't come away with a single point," said Van Rooyen.
"Couple of them were our mistakes; our ruck reaction was not good enough, the ball carriers were not clinical in their handling.
"How do we address it? Through repetition and putting the players under pressure. They will develop and react better.
"We have to put them under pressure in the week. We can't wait for Saturday. On the coaching side, we are going to reflect on what's working and not working for us. I don't think it is a bad time for a change, whether it’s player-driven or how we play," he said.
The Lions have a bye week and they'll travel to Ireland to play Leinster on February 25.
Back to drawing board for Lions
Leaky defence needs attention
Image: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images
Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen said he would focus on putting the players in pressure situations in training for them to get better as their horrid season continues.
This comes after the Lions lost 33-10 to the Stormers at Ellis Park on Saturday, their fourth straight defeat in the United Rugby Championship. The Lions are now in 14th place on the URC table.
Against the Stormers, they continued with their trend of being leaky in the defence, with the players and the system being questionable. The visitors from Cape Town carved them open as Hacjivah Dayimani, Seabelo Senatla, Sergeal Petersen and Deon Fourie all crossed the white line. Flyhalf Mannie Libbok had his scoring boots on as he kicked three conversions and slotted two penalties.
The Lions only managed to dot down later in the match when feisty scrumhalf Morne van den Berg finished a well-worked move. Van den Berg's try was the only moment where the Lions showed spark in the Stormers half.
"Unfortunately, that was the story of the game. We had six or seven 22metre entries and we couldn't come away with a single point," said Van Rooyen.
"Couple of them were our mistakes; our ruck reaction was not good enough, the ball carriers were not clinical in their handling.
"How do we address it? Through repetition and putting the players under pressure. They will develop and react better.
"We have to put them under pressure in the week. We can't wait for Saturday. On the coaching side, we are going to reflect on what's working and not working for us. I don't think it is a bad time for a change, whether it’s player-driven or how we play," he said.
The Lions have a bye week and they'll travel to Ireland to play Leinster on February 25.
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