Francke Horn admits errors and poor execution proved decisive as the Lions were hammered in the Jukskei derby at Ellis Park.
The Lions have been left with hard questions to answer after their 52-17 defeat to the Vodacom Bulls.
Captain Horn was direct in his assessment, placing responsibility squarely on individual performance within the collective.
“Every player needs to take accountability for their job,” he said. “I think we lost five or six lineouts and we probably didn’t get more than one or two phases, especially in the second half.”
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Horn highlighted centre Bronson Mills’ late try as evidence of what the Lions failed to sustain.
“You saw the last try we scored, we kept the ball for five phases and we scored easily. And that’s a big frustration,” Horn said. “Players need to take accountability for what we did out there. It’s a team sport, but an individual must also do his part.”
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Horn was clear that preparation after a brutal European tour had not been the issue.
“There was nothing coach [Ivan] van Rooyen said in the week’s prep that led us to perform like that today,” he said. “But definitely the pressure and the slow start got to us. It was just not a good performance.
“Mistakes and lineout possession loss just puts you under pressure and then you’re on the back foot every single time,” Horn added. “So we need to sharpen up on that and then it will look a lot different.”
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Van Rooyen echoed that view, describing a performance undermined by a lack of accuracy from the outset.
“We were sloppy,” he said. “Especially in that first half, I don’t think we managed to get the ball through two phases, maybe not even three. If you’re just sloppy, then you can’t build continuity.
“You make an error, they get the ball, then you concede momentum. When you allow big guys like them momentum, then they run at you.”
Despite positive signs during the week, Van Rooyen said the execution did not transfer to match day.
“We were happy with the prep, with the pictures, with how we wanted to play. Just on the day, the execution was not accurate enough.
“The more we tried to manufacture something, again the errors were too much and the Bulls just punished us.”
Looking ahead, both coach and captain stressed the importance of response rather than reaction. The Lions now enter a three-week break before a run of crucial home fixtures.
“All of the guys in the changing room are proud men and we’ll take this loss at home quite hard,” Horn said. “We have a week off now to really switch off and then when we come back, have a look at what we did not do and how we can rectify that.”
Van Rooyen agreed that the coming months will define their season and the hunt for a first-ever place in the URC playoffs.
“March, April and May are going to be massive for us,” he said. “It’s not just the energy, but it’s also the execution with the energy. And we need to be more consistent.
“We know that the last two games, Leinster and then Munster away, will be tough. We probably need to be in a position where the majority of the business before we get to those two games is done.”
Photo: Lefty Shivambu/Gallo Images
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