Lions captain Jaco Kriel says he appreciated the character and effort his team showed during their win on Sunday in the United Rugby Championship (URC) when they beat Cardiff Rugby 37-20 at Ellis Park.
The Johannesburg side entertained on the day, playing the running rugby they are renowned for. Their first win of the year came courtesy of tries from Edwill van der Merwe who dotted twice, Vincent Tshituka and Morne van den Berg.
Flyhalf Jordan Hendrikse played a key role in keeping the score board pressure with his boot; he successfully slotted in between the poles four conversions and three penalties. The more impressive thing about the win is that it came with a bonus point. The Lions remain in 14th place on the overall URC standings.
Speaking to the media in a press conference after the match, Kriel expressed his gratitude to the Lions players and revealed a part of a speech he gave in the dressing room to fire up their bellies.
"The guys were excited about this game, we said we owe ourselves a good game at home because lately, we haven't been playing well at home, that's not the way to go," said Kriel
"Before that game, I asked the guys to remember the day they fell in love with rugby, to go out there and play for that moment. I do believe that everybody showed character and hard work. I appreciated it as the captain, to get a response from the team.
"A couple of weeks ago we said we're not happy with the attitude and effort of the guys. This is the first time in a long time we can say for two consecutive games the guys brought good effort and attitude. It's really good to see the response and hark work paying off," he said.
The 32-year-old skipper refused to be drawn into talks of the win over Cardiff being the turning point in their season. He insisted the team is still building ahead of their big match against Irish province Munster on Saturday at Ellis Park (2pm).
"It was a good result for all the hard work we put in. The guys must build on this and not focus too much on it being the turning point of the season," said Kriel.
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