Francke Horn hails Lions’ tough grind against Ospreys as Bulls derby looms

The Lions may not have produced the fireworks of their victory over Leinster last week, but captain Francke Horn believes their 35-12 win over the Ospreys at Ellis Park was an important lesson in how to win ugly.

Having stunned Leinster 27-26 at the same venue in their opening United Rugby Championship match, the Lions were far from their best in the first half against the Welsh visitors and trailed 12-10 at the break.

But they transformed the game after half-time, dominating the set piece and scoring four tries to secure a bonus-point victory and nine points from their opening two matches.

“It was a very sloppy first half,” Horn admitted. “That’s definitely something we’ll need to improve going forward, especially next weekend against the Bulls.

“But credit to the forwards in the second half. There were lots of good scrums, lots of strong mauls, and the backs joining in. It was a tough grind of a win.

“We got our five points. It wasn’t perfect, but five is on the board.”

The scrum has emerged as a formidable weapon for the Lions in their opening two matches, and it again provided a platform for their second-half dominance against the Ospreys.

Horn, however, stressed that discipline would be just as important as power.

“It’s definitely a good weapon in our arsenal at this stage,” he said. “We just need to be patient and pick our moments and not give soft penalties away there [the Ospreys won two scrum penalties even though they were outgunned].

“But overall, the forwards put in a massive shift.”

The introduction of Springbok scrumhalf Morné van den Berg also helped change the tempo after the break, with his crisp passing and assured game management giving the Lions greater control.

Horn credited the replacements with adding further impetus.

“The guys coming off the bench brought some energy and momentum,” he said. “And the last few defensive sets also looked good.

“So there were a lot of positives in the second half. We just need to sharpen up in the first half.”

The Lions now have nine log points from their opening two games and have made an impressive start to a season in which they will be looking to build on last year’s breakthrough quarter-final appearance.

For Horn, however, the early log points are only the beginning.

“We wanted 10 points in the first two weeks and we got nine, so there’s still some work to be done,” he said.

The Lions face a significant step up in intensity next weekend when they travel to Pretoria to face the Bulls, before turning their attention to the Champions Cup and successive European away fixtures against La Rochelle and Glasgow Warriors.

They will then return to Johannesburg for the URC return fixture against the Bulls on December 5.