Following the Emirates Lions' 52–17 loss to the Vodacom Bulls on 31 January 2026, Lions' captain Francke Horn called for immediate individual accountability within the squad. Horn described the performance as "not good enough" and expressed deep frustration over the team's inability to maintain possession or execute basic set-pieces.
“All of the guys in the changing room are proud men, and we’ll take this loss at home quite hard. 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.”
Horn said that "every player needs to take accountability. “Every player needs to take accountability for their job. I think we lost five or six line-outs, and we probably didn’t get more than one or two phases, especially in the second half. It’s a team sport, but an individual must also do his part.”
He said that as the Lions tried to "manufacture something" to get back into the game, they made more errors, which allowed the Bulls to punish them further.
Horn pointed to Bronson Mills' late try, scored after keeping the ball for five phases, as evidence of what the team is capable of when they execute correctly, calling the lack of sustainment a "big frustration".
“You saw the last try we scored, we kept the ball for five phases, and we scored easily. And that’s a big frustration."
He dismissed any suggestion that poor preparation was the cause, affirming that the week's training under coach Ivan van Rooyen had been solid.
“But definitely the pressure and the slow start got to us. It was just not a good performance. Mistakes and losing lineouts put you under pressure, and then you’re on the back foot every single time. We need to sharpen up on that.”