Ivan van Rooyen and Marius Louw praised the mental state and growth of the Lions after they took a big step towards the Challenge Cup playoffs with a huge win on Saturday.
Emmanuel Tshituka scored a brace of tries against Newcastle Falcons in a bonus-point 35-13 result at Ellis Park as the Lions made it two wins on the trot in the EPCR competition.
Van Rooyen’s charges topped pool 2 with nine points before the clash between Ospreys and Montpellier on Sunday, and will aim to scalp Sale Sharks at home on 13 January to qualify for the knockout stage again.
The Joburgers are on a four-game winning run in all competitions and their next assignment will be against the Sharks in the Vodacom URC in Durban on 6 January.
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Speaking post-match at Ellis Park on Saturday, Van Rooyen told reporters: “I think a year-and-a-half ago we’d pray for a win. [Now] to get five points, even if it was a little bit scrappy… It’s been a tough first block [of the season] in terms of loads, games, and travel so to end the first block with five points is awesome.
“There’s been a helluva lot of growth in specific areas. I think mentally has been the biggest growth for us in terms of togetherness, cohesiveness, mindset, approach, and better execution of plans.
“There’s a lot to be excited about. Yes, there’s still errors and work-ons but a year-and-a-half ago we felt hope and potential, and currently through the hard work of the players, we’re starting to feel that at least nice forward momentum is happening.”
Skipper Louw added: “We have grown a lot, and our time of learning has actually passed and it’s now about just executing our plan.
“Looking forward, it’s obviously a good thing that we keep on winning, and that’s the main objective – to get to a home quarter-final – and that’ll be awesome for us.”
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