Flyhalf and captain Elton Jantjies believes the Lions’ loss to the Sharks in Durban on Friday night was partly down to an inability to take responsibility at key moments. 

The Lions went down 19-16 in the Super Rugby Unlocked tournament opener in Durban, with Jantjies missing a routine penalty towards the end of the contest that would have leveled matters. 

Jantjies said such errors “happen in rugby”, but rather lamented the pivotal moments that did not go his side’s way.

The Lions also turn down several shots at goal in the first half, opting instead to set up set pieces in looking to score a try that never came until the second period. 

“We always learn, but I feel that wasn’t the reason we lost this game. There were certain other areas in the game that we definitely need to improve on,” Jantjies said.

“Obviously we’ll have a review of that, in terms of certain leaders in the team and the collective decisions we make. But if we scored before half-time, from that 5m maul, it would’ve been a different story. It’s just up to us to make the right decisions collectively and obviously from the management as well.

“Both sides had equal opportunities.

“They had one try, we had one try. I hit a penalty against the poles, which happens in rugby, and I think we had another penalty where we just didn’t kick it out. We had other moments, particularly at the set piece, where we needed to take responsibility, and those are crucial moments when you play a quality outfit like the Sharks.

– Compiled by Lloyd Burnard