Gutsy Lions reminded of a specific Super Rugby lesson after disappointing European exit

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen believes that South Africa's franchises - once they are officially allowed to do so - should actively aim for home play-offs in the European Champions and Challenge Cups in future.

On a bleak weekend, the men from Ellis Park as well as the Stormers and Sharks all lost their respective quarter-finals though it must be taken into account that none of them were able to stake a claim for hosting those matches because the European Professional Club Rugby (EPCR), the custodians of the two tournaments, have ruled that until SA Rugby doesn't become a fully fledged stakeholder in the URC (which will happen in the latter stages of 2024) their teams must travel overseas for knockouts.

Having been an integral part of the Lions vintages under Johan Ackermann and Swys de Bruin that reached three consecutive Super Rugby finals, Van Rooyen confidently highlighted a common lesson from Saturday night's 21-31 loss to Glasgow in their last eight Challenge Cup clash.  

"It's similar lessons to Super Rugby. The moment you reach a playoff, your chances of success are a lot higher if you're playing at home. It's something the Stormers showed us last year already in the URC," he said.  

"The margins are so small. We played against an star-studded team and yet we're sitting afterwards feeling that we were really in the game, perhaps even good enough at times to cause an upset.

"The traveling is a challenge, but if you get the logistics [relatively] right like we did this week, you can still find a way to get in a good week of preparation."

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Van Rooyen isn't being overly optimistic in stating that his charges felt disappointed by the result