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Tiaan Swanepoel. (Gallo images)
- Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen has praised fullback Tiaan Swanepoel’s “BMT” after her Currie Cup win over Western Province.
- Swanepoel threw five penalties, including three long-range attempts, and the Lions overcame a 10-point deficit to win 22-19.
- Van Rooyen says Swanepoel scored a kick from “about 70 meters in practice the other day.”
Fullback Tiaan swanepoel was the Lions unlikely hero in his Currie Cup victory over Western Province at Ellis Park on Saturday night.
The 24-year-old took five penalties, including one to death, to see his team sneak a 22-19 victory.
The Lions lost big chunks, but Swanepoel’s boot kept them in the game with some long-range penalties at crucial moments.
He threw a monstrous 61-meter penalty to put his side on the board in the 18th minute and was also successful with a 45-meter effort to level things out at 6-6 after 30 minutes.
The Lions looked back when they trailed 19-9 in the final 10 minutes, before another long-range effort from Swanepoel put them within attacking range.
It turned out to be the catalyst for a comeback and Swanepoel sealed WP’s fate when he scored an easy penalty to death.
While addressing reporters after the game, the Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen He said he was not surprised by Swanepoel’s heroics.
“We know what Tiaan can do with her boot … she kicked a 70-meter kick the other day in training. So we know it was a weapon for us,” the coach said.
Van Rooyen also praised the captain Elton Jantjies’ decision to hand over kicking duties to his back row.
“We are very important to educate the players on what decisions to make and when [to take them]… it was a big decision for Elton to go there early in the game. We knew he had it in terms of distance and it was a good BMT (big game temperament) from Tiaan, “said Van Rooyen.
Jantjies added that he was never stressed, even though his team was losing 10 points and time was running out.
“For the full 80 minutes, the belief was there in terms of winning the game. There were a lot of building blocks for us to win … it’s easy to lose patience, especially from a leadership point of view, so [I] He had to make decisions on the spot. And luckily we have a lot of leaders on the team and there are guys who are improving.
“But it’s up to me to make the decision … whether to kick to the corner or go to the posts or go to a set piece,” Jantjies said.
Jantjies acknowledged that Schoeman’s long-distance effort in the 68th minute, bringing the score to 12-19, was critical.
“In the last 10 minutes I felt like it was going to be massive in terms of game management and decision making, and have a guy like Tiaan to get us back. [within] seven points … that was my instinct [feeling], which I felt in that moment and Tiaan took a step and the guys took some energy. That’s what we stand for as a team, creating something unexpected, and Tiaan saw that opportunity and seized it. “
The victory sees the Lions rise above the Cheetahs to fourth place in the Currie Cup standings. Now they are behind WP, who got an extra losing point, by a solitary point.
Van Rooyen added that he felt “enormous relief and real pride” at the final whistle.
“Obviously we desperately needed a win against a very good team from the Western Province. You can’t really call it an 80 minute performance, but it can be called” a challenge and an 80 minute mental fight. “
“Beating them for the first time in three attempts this year is great for us. We know the quality of them, so we think we will definitely get a bit of a boost from this one.”
Van Rooyen counterpart, John dobson, he was understandably dejected after another small defeat.
“We are very disappointed. In the last 10 minutes they played quite fast.
“I think we deserve some credit for our defense, it’s not often that you come to Ellis Park and grant just one shot, but the problem is, we only scored one,” Dobson said.
