Fidelity ADT Lions head coach Mziwakhe Nkosi admitted after the game he was gutted following their 14-16 loss to the Hollywoodbets on Saturday in the Carling Currie Cup on Saturday.
Nkosi said although he can not explain why the Lions decided to maul rather than secure the win and kick the ball out, the players have to take accountability for their Currie Cup loss and start preparing for the start of their United Rugby Championship (URC) campaign the weekend.
“I can’t explain it either. We were Curie Cup champions for 10 seconds, and just in the moment that leadership lacked presence,” said Nkosi.
“All we had to do was call a line-out where the nine was in front, throw the ball in the front, get the ball, and kick it out. We proceeded to maul it, they turned it over. I thought the call in the end was a bit harsh."
“Either way, we should’ve kicked the ball out and become Currie Cup champions. Instead Plum and them have started their season on a good note.”
“From the players' perspective taking accountability means rocking up here on Monday and preparing for Ulster. That’s accountability. You can’t rest too long on your laurels.
“It’s a big loss for me personally. You don’t get too many opportunities to get into finals, and to win finals. I thought we put ourselves in a position to win the final. So I am pretty gutted that we didn’t.”