The return of eight-man Francke Horn proved to be the catalyst for the Lions’ superb 35-24 bonus point win over Glasgow Warriors in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.
Horn returned from a long spell on the sidelines with an injury, through which he watched the Lions go on a five-game losing streak, with him then returned and inspired to snap with a man-of-the-match performance.
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Horn was massive in the loose, carried powerfully, there was a threat in the breakdown and showed impressive awareness after picking up the loose ball and sprinting almost 40 meters to score an opportunistic try in action packed shows.
Speaking after the match, Horn admitted he was happy to be back and able to make a positive contribution to the team again.
“It’s great to be back. It’s hard enough to watch people play for months and not get results. So, to come back to the park and be able to contribute again is amazing,” Horn said.
“I like this team. We work very hard. To have two yellow cards and a red card in the game and still go through, I’m very proud of the guys and it’s a great team effort.
“Mostly in the second half we played with 14 or 13 men and they didn’t give up. We played our hearts out. Earlier this week we came together and decided that we would play for each other and I think we showed it on the field.
Refusal point
The Lions will be hoping that this result is a turning point in their campaign, as they try to pay their late season fee for the URC play-offs, which they may not be able to achieve.
“I really hope and believe (that this can be a turning point). This result gives us a little confidence back and most of our games are back in front. It’s good to have all the fans here. Thank you for coming out,” added Horn.
Lions captain Marius Louw was also delighted with the result and was impressed with the clinical nature of his side who were more than a week after losing to the Sharks because they didn’t take their chances.
Last weekend was difficult for us with the performance we had and the lack of execution. With the opportunities we created last week, we know what we can do, we just have to believe and execute and this week we are better at taking those opportunities than losing them,” said Louw.
“This is always the case for us. Over time the wheel has turned and like this team, so this kind of result is unexpected and I believe we can build on what we have done today moving forward.
“We just have to take it day by day. We are working hard behind the scenes. The first thing now is the recovery, celebrate the win and then start again on Monday. We have the Bulls next weekend. It’s a tough game at Loftus, they have a big turnout in the crowd, so we have to be ready.