Cape Town - Lions coach Johan Ackermann was incredibly proud of his players after their 42-25 win over the Crusaders in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Ackermann's men secured a place in the semi-finals after the victory and they will now play the Highlanders at Ellis Park next weekend.
Ackermann lauded the character of his side and the help he received from his assistant coaches.
"This is a quality Crusaders team and when you consider what they’ve achieved over the years ... this has to go down as one of my better wins as a coach. I’m proud of the character and growth shown by my players," Ackermann told IOL.
"But also, a lot of credit must go to JP Ferreira and Swys de Bruin, who’ve worked very hard to get the team’s defence and attack up to standard."
Lions captain Warren Whiteley commented on the gravity behind beating such a successful Super Rugby team and how the win will buoy his side going into the next round.
"Beating the Crusaders is a massive boost for our confidence. They’ve got the better of us over the last few years so this will bring confidence to the guys for the semi-final. This coming week will again be massive," Whiteley said.
"We need to keep our feet on the ground and not get ahead of ourselves ... but that said, we believe in our style of rugby, in each other and the way we’re playing, so there’s a lot of confidence in the squad, there has been all season long."