Chris Rossouw views an emphatic Champions Cup defeat at Lyon as an investment in experience that will reap future dividends for the Vodacom Bulls.
The Vodacom Bulls had their Champions Cup playoff fate taken out of their hands when they suffered a 31-7 defeat to Lyon on Friday night, leaving them relying on other results in the final round of pool matches to stay in the top eight in Pool A.
REPORT: Lyon avalanche buries Bulls
After falling 10-0 down early on in the match, the visitors had their opportunities, particularly midway through the first half, but conceded too many turnovers when they had Lyon under pressure.
A flurry of penalties and a subsequent yellow card conceded towards the end of the first half was punished by Les Loups, as the hosts took a commanding 24-0 lead into the break. Despite Kurt-Lee Arendse’s intercept try and an improved penalty rate, the Bulls struggled to make inroads into Lyon’s defence as the snow came down in the second half.
“For us its a first encounter in France,” Bulls assistant coach Rossouw told the media during a debrief on Saturday morning. “We came up against a French side that was playing at home and it was completely different.
“You can look at the conditions and travel as an excuse. It’s was extremely cold and the snow came down towards the end, but the reality is that the conditions weren’t that bad in the end.
“Put that aside, we conceded too many penalties that put us under pressure and had too many technical errors.
“In the first half it was 11 penalties conceded and in the second half we brought that down to five. We came back well in the second half, but put ourselves under immense pressure at the beginning of the match and that showed on the scoreboard.”
Rossouw, taking charge of the team as Jake White continues his recovery from surgery, said that while the result was disappointing, the Vodacom Bulls have learnt valuable lessons that will serve them as they look to grow in the future.
“The way we pulled back in the second half…we also had a patch after falling 10-0 down where we played well. We couldn’t convert, which is an area that we need to improve. In those five minutes before half-time, we conceded those penalties that led to those scrum and maul tries.
“Basically, it was even-stevens in the second half and that showed us that we can manage these conditions and stand our ground.
“There are a lot of positives, but only experience will help over time. It was a disappointing experience, but also a positive one in that we were in this game in both halves. We also had patches like that against the Sharks and Stormers. Only time will get us to a point where we can control these games better.
“It’s extremely difficult to win in France. If you want to win here, you have to be clinical, be brave and take your opportunities. We had the opportunities. We also need to adapt better to playing on an artificial turf.”
As far as injuries go, Rossouw confirmed that it was only Arendse who had picked up a strain. However, Arendse and Canan Moodie will be among the Springboks sitting out next weekend’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Scarlets in Wales.
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