JOHANNESBURG - For the second year running the Lions have gone down to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires. And again it was a case of the visitors’ discipline letting them down.
Johan Ackermann’s men lost 36-24 on Saturday night; their first defeat of the season, while the Jaguares picked up their second victory after beating the Kings in round one.
Both team’s scored four tries, but the trusty boot of flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez ensured the home team built a good lead and hung on for the victory.
Ackermann said the two yellow cards his team were handed by referee Nick Briant cost his side dearly. “The less I say about the referee the better ... we simply have to live with his decisions,” lamented Ackermann.
“But, our discipline let us down; we were not good. We played with 14 men for 20 minutes and the penalties we gave away allowed them to build a good lead and we couldn’t haul it in.”
Andries Ferreira and Robbie Coetzee copped yellow cards and the Jaguares were able to go 21-7 up at half-time, a lead that they never gave up despite a strong two-try finish by the visitors.
“We were poor. We lost ball in contact, weren’t able to get momentum going and our balance wasn’t good ... we didn’t know when to kick and when to run, our decision-making was poor,” lamented the coach.
“We gave them too many opportunities to run in the first half, we gave away too many easy tries and we allowed them to put all the pressure on us.”
Indeed, the Lions, after producing a strong performance against the Waratahs the week before, were unable to find any rhythm and momentum and were on the back foot throughout the contest. The Jaguares played in their faces and ran hard at the young backline, who weren’t able to contain the home team.
Like a year ago, a second-string Lions side lost to the Jaguares after Ackermann opted to play a weakend team in Buenos Aires. Captain Warren Whiteley said it was crucial to give some of the youngsters Super Rugby experience.
“It was a tough game, but we must also look at it as being a fantastic opportunity for the younger players. The experience they gained is big,” he said afterwards.
“They were the superior side, they dominated us physically, but we’ll have to stand up soon again.”
The Lions will arrive back in Johannesburg on Monday morning and start preparations for the Reds on Tuesday.
“It’s going to be a very important game,” said Whiteley. “We’re going to have to bounce back as quickly as possible.”
The Lions will this week welcome back the likes of Elton Jantjies, Lionel Mapoe, Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Franco Mostert and possible also Ruan Combrinck.
Sanchez meanwhile has been cited for foul play after clashing in the air with Lions wing Anthony Volmink and will undergo a hearing soon. The citing commissioner deemed the offence had met the red card threshold.