Lions captain Francke Horn hails teammates' effort against Bok-laden Stormers

The Johannesburg franchise was in top form in front of their home crowd, running in three glorious tries while flyhalf Gianni Lombard kicked 15 points off the tee for a comfortable win. The Stormers had no less than seven Springboks in their starting lineup, but the Lions continued their habit of punching above their weight.

"It's a big step in the right direction for us," said Horne of the win, which breaks a four-match losing streak.

It's still not perfect. We would've loved the bonus point, but we got the win.

"It was quite scrappy in the end, but that is the character of the team is that we can fight till the end and make sure we win it.

"With the previous four games, we felt we were in it until the last minute in all of them. So, I am really proud of the guys for continuing to fight."

The Lions' form has resulted in several of the squad being called up to the Springboks' first alignment camp of the year. Horne, along with teammates Renzo du Plessis, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter, Quan Horn, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe and Henco van Wyk will be with the Boks in Cape Town in March.

"If we as a team play well, then the guys will get the higher honours," continued Horne, who has been a stalwart for his franchise.

"There is a big positivity because obviously you get noticed. It is still not an individual sport, so if the team plays well, players will stand out against other Springboks. And that is how we are going to go forward.

"It's a team sport, so be the best you can be for the team and the rest will come for itself."

READ MORE: The Stormers are facing a gauntlet, says coach John Dobson