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Cape Town - Lions coach Swys de Bruin remains upbeat despite Sunday’s home loss to the Crusaders at Ellis Park.
READ: 5 talking points - Super Rugby Week 7
The Lions led the defending champions 5-0 at half-time, before conceding two second half tries to go down 14-8.
It was the Lions’ second home loss of the season - having earlier lost to the Blues - and followed a disappointing 49-35 reverse to the Jaguares in Buenos Aires the previous week.
They Lions however still have a handy seven-point lead over the Stormers atop the South African Conference and lie second on the overall standings.
De Bruin told Netwerk24 that he was pleased with the improvement shown from the previous week.
“Our defence improved markedly. The manner in which we stood firm against the pressure they put on us was enormous. We showed heaps of character and as far as I’m concerned, we can hold our heads high. There’s no shame in the manner we lost,” the Lions coach said.
De Bruin also urged Lions fans to keep the faith.
“I want to give our fans the assurance that we won’t throw in the towel, we’ll hit back with everything we’ve got. The positive is that we at least managed to get a (losing) bonus point.”
In this weekend’s action, the Lions host the Stormers in Johannesburg (Saturday, April 7 - 17:15).
