Mike Greenaway
The Lions’ decision to send 12 players home from Wales to prepare for this week’s home match against Pau meant the Challenge Cup game against the Ospreys had been surrendered, and only time will tell if Ivan van Rooyen’s investment in the future will pay off.
For long periods, the coach would have been proud of the fight his up-and-comers showed in pushing the Ospreys in the Swansea but a 30-14 result against a team languishing in 14th place on the United Rugby Championship points table does not flatter the Joburgers.
Van Rooyen has a strategy for the Challenge Cup that is based on winning home games and do not be surprised if Pau are blown away this weekend but if that doesn’t happen, the sacrifice in Swansea will be painfully remembered.
The Lions are in a promising place after some difficult seasons. They are fifth on the URC table and the depth they tested against the Ospreys had mixed results.
It was 13-7 to the Ospreys at half-time but the Lions could have been leading had kicker Sam Francis not had on his Manie Libbok boots. In the opening 20 minutes, the Ospreys seemed like they had been hoodwinked into believing the back-up Lions team would be a push over.
The Lions tore into them and a succession of opportunities culminated in veteran Franco Marais cleverly manoeuvring around the back of a maul to score. Marais, a former Shark and a recent star for Gloucester, is probably the most underrated hooker in South Africa.
The Ospreys woke up and the second quarter of the game belonged to them. It helped them when JC Pretorius was yellow-carded for deliberate offsides at a ruck and two penalties by flyhalf Owen Williams as followed up by a try by No 8 and captain Jac Williams for a 13-7 half-time lead.
The Lions seemed to have one foot on the plane home when they lethargically began the second half. They wilted and the Ospreys scored quick second half tries by wing Keelan Giles and scrumhalf Kieran Hardy.
Suddenly, it was 25-7 and the Lions were offering only vague response to the growing Ospreys confidence. They visitors were let off the hook when Morgan seemed to have cashed in on a clumsy handling at the back of a Lions ruck but the TMO ruled that Morgan had been offside.
The Lions had the last say when Erich Cronje finished well in the corner but, in reality beyond a strong opening quarter, the Lions were the inferior team.