Lions coach Van Rooyen rejoices in unknown European factor that boosted their URC form

Lions United Rugby Championship coach Ivan 'Cash' van Rooyen said the unfamiliarity of the European sides has worked in their favour in their home leg of the tournament.

In beating the Ospreys 45-15 at Ellis Park on Friday night, the Lions won their third consecutive home game against European opposition.

It was in stark contrast to the four defeats they suffered in the South African derbies, where they failed to get going.

RESULT | United Rugby Championship: Lions v Ospreys

Van Rooyen cited a slight mental strain with regards to their inability to front up for local derbies but expects a tougher fight from Edinburgh next week.

"We're playing against the unknown, and with the South African derbies, it was slightly tougher mentally to get up for the challenge," Van Rooyen said.

"I think with the international teams, the uncertainty is good for us, but mentally, we're in a good place and we'll have time to recover physically.

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"Edinburgh will play all of their internationals, whereas, with Ospreys, their internationals were on the bench.

"They'll also come with their attacking game, but we'll be prepared for the challenge."

The Lions are now 11th on the 15-team log with five wins from 13 matches. Van Rooyen admitted the victory against the Ospreys was sweet, but ensuring the elimination of soft moments was the most satisfying thing for them

"We're working hard on small moments and micro-details. The more consistent in doing that, the better we'll be as a team," Van Rooyen said.

"We worked hard on our attacking breakdown, and it was a lot better in this game. We'll also take the lessons learned from this game.

"It's enjoyable to score 45 points, but there's a fair bit of work to do on Monday."