10 October 2026
10bets Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen pulled no punches following his side’s bruising 15-57 defeat to the Vodacom Bulls in a performance the head coach labelled as well below par.
The Lions struggled to secure loose ball and handle the Bulls’ relentless physicality. Handling errors halted any potential momentum, preventing the visitors from launching sustained attacking phases.
“It’s one of those frustrating days where even when they drop the ball, and we’ve got five guys around it, we seem to knock it on,” Van Rooyen said.
A critical injury to prop Sebastian Lombard further crippled the Lions' set-piece stability. The early disruption forced tactical adjustments that ultimately compromised the visitors' scrumming power during the decisive final quarter.
“I think that Sebastian’s early injury eventually played a part in the scrums, if I refer to the last 20 to 30 minutes,” Van Rooyen explained.
Medical staff face a race against time to diagnose the front-rower before the squad departs South Africa. Lombard was spotted in a protective boot post-match, casting serious doubt over his availability for the upcoming tour.
“He seems to have a foot injury. We are jumping on a plane Monday night, so we have to assess quickly,” Van Rooyen said. “He’s in a boot currently, so obviously the extent of it and exactly what it is, we don’t know yet, but it looks quite sore.”
The Bulls capitalised on the dominance of their star-studded squad to dictate the tempo of the match. Hard carries around the fringes pinned the Lions back and kept the scoreboard ticking over rapidly.
“I don’t want to take anything away from the Bulls. I think they were exceptional,” Van Rooyen admitted. “It felt like we played against 10 or 12 Springboks today, and they were good.”
The coach refused to use the opposition's strength as an excuse for his team’s lacklustre display. Internal accountability remains the focus as the coaching staff looks to rectify basic unforced errors.
“But in saying that, with all the respect in the world, I thought we were really below par. A lot of the fixes, a lot of the things we need to fix, will be on us,” he stated.
Defensive frailties proved to be the team's undoing, cracking under pressure for the first time this season. Upcoming European opponents will undoubtedly target these newly exposed gaps in the Lions' defensive line.
“The first fix for us will be our defence, which we haven’t really been exploited on thus far this season,” Van Rooyen noted.
The heavy scoreline delivers a harsh wake-up call to the franchise early in the campaign. However, van Rooyen hopes the timing allows for rapid technical adjustments before facing La Rochelle in France.
“We did learn big lessons today. Never nice to learn lessons like this. Never nice to take 50. Is there any good time to take 50? I don’t think so,” Van Rooyen said. “But if you have to choose, take it early and learn the lessons, and hopefully we can adapt quickly.”
With a swift turnaround required, the squad must immediately shift focus to their overseas travel schedule.
“I think it’s up to us to make a decision. We can really sulk about this, or we can collectively pull in and make a decision,” Van Rooyen concluded. “But there’s no decision to be made. It’s just to get collectively back on the horse and jump on the plane and go fight that battle.”