van Rooyen hails debutants as Lions secure maiden victory over Leinster

The Lions faithful at Ellis Park witnessed their side triumph over Leinster yesterday, in what was the Johannesburg-based side’s very first win over the Irish outfit in the history of the competition.

Among the noticeable debutants was Springbok prop Boan Venter, who started in the front row. 

van Rooyen broke down the performances of each of the debutants…

"There were five debutants today and I'm happy for all of them. For someone like Boeta Chamberlain, it's good for him to play because over the last few years he hasn't really played much. It's also awesome for some of the others to get their first cap in a game like this."

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The star of the show was winger Erich Cronje, who scored a brace of tries. The coach, however, touched on the defensive performance of the side in the first half admitting it was not effective. 

The Lions went into the break trailing 19-17 before turning the game around in the second half. The mentor admitted that there were harsh words at half-time adding that his side responded well.

“Cash” shared that he had spoken with former Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber, who is part of the Leinster coaching staff, with both coaches agreeing that it was a physical contest. He also mentioned that both teams showed character despite the tough conditions. 

"It was definitely a physical game so there are sore bodies. It sounds very romantic playing at half past one, but the reality of the conditions hits you from kick off. The boys showed great character throughout to get the job done."