Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen praised his team’s resilience and precision after their commanding 49-31 victory over previously unbeaten Ulster at Ellis Park.

The Lions scored seven tries to claim back-to-back wins in the URC, which they started with three tour defeats. They are now eighth on the log.

“The guys really played hard today. A lot of effort,” Van Rooyen said. “As it’s tough for them [Ulster], it’s also tough for us at two o’clock in the afternoon.

“As the game progressed, we got more efficient. Our error rate went down a little bit. Still, our exit cycles probably put us under pressure. But we challenged [the players] hard this week and they really responded well.”

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Ulster had beaten both the Bulls and Sharks coming into this clash, which made the win even more satisfying for the Lions boss.

“For us to get five [log] points, obviously we’re happy with that. But I’m more proud of the work and how we did it. We had unbelievable sets on defence and attack,” he said.

Van Rooyen highlighted the team’s defensive stand late in the first half as a key moment.

“If you take the hard work in that last defensive set before half time, it was inches in the corner. We prevented that try, which showed how hard and desperately we were working.”

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The Lions scored seven tries, but Van Rooyen believes there’s still room to improve.

“We understand we need to get better and more clinical, but we also understand what pictures we are creating,” he explained.

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“Everyone’s emotional after a win like that, but there’s still [only] 10 or 11 points on the log.

“The feeling in the camp is very different from what people think. We know we’re moving in the right direction.”

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Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images