Lions must 'stop the rot'
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen is happy to "roll with the punches" as his team looks to turn around their recent slump.
Back-to-back losses in South African derbies - 10-37 to the Sharks and 8-40 to the Stormers - ended an impressive run that saw them overcome French giants Stade Francais and the Dragons.
The past weekend they ran into a Stormers team in fine form, the Cape Town-based franchise making it eight wins from 10 starts in this season's United Rugby Championship with the bonus-point success.
For the Lions, it is more their slump in form, particularly of key players, rather than the loss that is causing concern.
The Lions - second from last on attack and third from last on defence - have not only dropped out of the top 10 on the standings, but their standards have dropped to shockingly low levels.
Stand-in captain Marius Louw, before kick-off, was topping two of the most inglorious statistical categories - the most dropped balls in the league and he had also missed the most tackles.
Against the Stormers, he added further ignominy to his sullied reputation.
The 26-year-old centre, who joined from the Sharks in the off-season, dropped two more passes and a few missed tackles.
Yet the Lions' coach, Ivan van Rooyen, gave the assurance that it is a temporary slump.
(Article continues below the Ivan van Rooyen interview ...)
"He [Louw] is an unbelievably proud man," he said of the centre.
"So him dropping the ball, he takes it extremely personally.
"That's why you will see a reaction like that from him.
"His standards, be it at training or on the field, are very high."
The burly midfielder (182 centimetres and 95 kilograms), who started out as a flank and was converted to midfield after arriving at the Sharks in 2014, has been used as a battering ram by the Lions.
"We're sending him to run into brick walls to try and get us momentum," the coach said.
"The coaching element around that is timing and space, which is very prominent.
"It's something we're working hard at, also putting in some variations and options around that carry."
Meanwhile, Van Rooyen is confident the recent barren run in the tournament won't derail what has generally been a positive start to the season.
He spoke of the 'mental challenge' of winning on the road.
"We are leaving Monday on a four-week tour," Van Rooyen said of a road trip that will see them face Irish powerhouse Munster at Musgrave Park in the city of Cork in a URC Round 12 outing, followed by back-to-back European Challenge Cup encounters with Stade Francais (Stade Jean-Bouin in Paris) and the Dragons (Rodney Parade in Newport), before concluding the venture with a face-off against Connacht (The Sportsground in Galway).
"We have to get used to playing away," the coach said, adding that domestic derbies are the 'toughest' games to get away wins in.
They would be hoping for similar success to their three-match URC winning streak in Wales last year.
He added there is still a 'belief' in the system, but they just need more "consistency" on attack and defence.
"We like touring," the coach said, adding: "For us to go away for four weeks is a great opportunity to pull together.
The Lions are determined to stop the rot, as tough as it seems.
"It's fair to say there are some broken hearts in the change room," Van Rooyen said.
"Players are extremely competitive and proud.
"Every loss is hurting.
"We've turned it around previously and there's nothing better than a tour to pull together and get results," he added.
"As [veteran utility forward] Willem [Alberts] said in the change room: 'Continuous progression is sometimes frustrating and slow. Don't get frustrated with the process, just keep on going'.
"As the Stormers showed us last year, after our win [in Cape Town], they just clicked. Now I can't see them being beaten in Cape Town."
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