No time to sulk, says coach Van Rooyen after Lions shoot themselves in the foot
United Rugby Championship
The Lions' Ivan van Rooyen was left gutted after Zebre snatched a dramatic 22-20 win in Parma, extending the South Africans’ run of late heartbreaks. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
For long-suffering Lions fans, the way their team conspired against themselves to lose 22-20 at the death to Zebre on Sunday was yet another Groundhog Day.
Just a few weeks ago, the Lions had the Currie Cup final against Griquas seemingly wrapped up, but lost in the last seconds — just as they did in the 2024 final against the Sharks. And for the coaching staff, it is the same “we only have ourselves to blame” rhetoric each time.
At the weekend, the Lions appeared to have done all the hard work to clinch a win on the road, scoring three well-crafted tries in the second half, but they failed to secure a crucial restart, opening the door for the Italians to steal the spoils.
“With four minutes to go, it was our game to win,” head coach Ivan van Rooyen said.
“But unfortunately, we didn’t manage the kick-off well enough, put ourselves under pressure, and allowed them an entry into our 22. It was way too easy, and they managed to score.”
The Lions will be kicking themselves after enduring a difficult first half in which they defended for long periods.
“We spent way too much time defending our try line,” Van Rooyen said. “We couldn’t get playing, we couldn’t get the ball into the right areas, and start to build pressure.
“That started to change in the second half. I think we were a lot more dynamic, we had a lot more momentum in attack, and the three tries we scored were really exciting.”
The Lions have no time to dwell on their misfortune as they now face a tricky trip to Benetton this week. Still, if they can build on their second-half performance in Parma, they will fancy their chances of earning their first United Rugby Championship win of the season.
“Obviously, we’re disappointed with the result. It shows you how small the margins in the URC are, and it shows you there isn’t a bad team in the competition, especially when you’re playing away,” the coach said.
“Now we’re prepping for Treviso. It’s a short week, so no time to sulk.”