Cape Town - Lions coach Johan Ackermann says his side did not deserve to go down by the margin they did against the Sharks at Ellis Park on Saturday night.
As it happened: Lions v Sharks
The men from Durban won 25-12 to go back to the top of the Super Rugby standings.
The Sharks did most of the playing and dominated the possession and territory stakes.
Their dominance can be reflected in the 519 running metres they gained compared to the 224 of the Lions. They also carried the ball 91 times, compared to the Lions' 69. In the process, the hosts were forced to make a lot more tackles - 86 compared to the Sharks' 69.
However, Ackermann felt they deserved at the very least a bonus point for their gutsy defensive effort.
"It was disappointing because I don't think the score is a true reflection of the game," he told SAPA.
"They didn't dominate the game in the sense that we were 13 points behind them, 15-12 would probably have been better, not satisfactory but better.
"Credit to them, they played the full 80 minutes and took their opportunities."
The Lions next face the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday (17:05 kick-off).
As it happened: Lions v Sharks
The men from Durban won 25-12 to go back to the top of the Super Rugby standings.
The Sharks did most of the playing and dominated the possession and territory stakes.
Their dominance can be reflected in the 519 running metres they gained compared to the 224 of the Lions. They also carried the ball 91 times, compared to the Lions' 69. In the process, the hosts were forced to make a lot more tackles - 86 compared to the Sharks' 69.
However, Ackermann felt they deserved at the very least a bonus point for their gutsy defensive effort.
"It was disappointing because I don't think the score is a true reflection of the game," he told SAPA.
"They didn't dominate the game in the sense that we were 13 points behind them, 15-12 would probably have been better, not satisfactory but better.
"Credit to them, they played the full 80 minutes and took their opportunities."
The Lions next face the Stormers in Cape Town on Saturday (17:05 kick-off).