Under fire coach heaps praise on Lions troops: 'Felt like we were playing with 10 or 11 forwards'

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen heaped praise on his charges after their 35-24 win over Glasgow Warriors at Ellis Park over the weekend.

After a week of drama off the field, the Lions gave their supporters something to shout about with an impressive display over a team ranked fourth on the URC standings.

It was a disruptive week for the men from Johannesburg, with reports surfacing of discontent between Lions players and management.

A leaked MyPlayers survey revealed that Lions players had apparently given "very low" ratings for the coaches and administrative staff. Van Rooyen reportedly only received "between three and four out of 10" from the players.

But after Saturday's win, Van Rooyen heaped praise on his players.

"The forwards and the inside backs had a massive work rate, and a massive effort... Marra (skipper Marius Louw), Manny (Rass)... at one stage, it felt like we were playing with about 10 or 11 forwards just carrying the ball up, trying to get us momentum and trying to get us quick ball," he told reporters.

"I was immensely proud of that. That's why I say when you lose your outside backs especially, there is a lot of work that needs to happen on the inside to be okay defensively and on attack.

"Massive effort from the guys, and I'm really proud of that. There were one or two good discussions in the week around that, and the only way we can talk and show how the guys care is between the four white lines.

"I'm really proud of the guys. Their effort and care was special. So, very proud of them, and obviously relieved to win at home against a quality Glasgow team that last lost about 10 games ago."

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Despite the win, the Lions are still