Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen happy with effort against Leinster

The Johannesburg franchise finished off their three-match tour to Europe with a hard-fought 24-6 loss against Leinster at their fortress, Aviva Stadium.

The Lions were well in the hunt at 10-6 down at the half, but a defensive masterclass saw them remain scoreless in the second stanza. A late penalty try inflated the scoreline beyond the contest on the field.

"The workrate and our character were good," van Rooyen told the media after the match.

"The guys really got stuck in out there, but the accuracy was a little bit lacking from our side.

"We created one or two opportunities which we couldnâ™t capitalise on and there were one or two exits which kept us under pressure, so we probably lost the small battles and not the big ones."

The Lions lost their star Quan Horn (Head Injury Assessment} early in the game, meaning  Edwill van Merwe had to shift to fullback.

"Quan is a vital part of our attack and counterattack and he offers us a left foot as well, so that was a big loss for us," said Van Rooyen.

"Edwill has been training there a little bit and we thought with the way we wanted to play it will suit us. Quan got a ding that got picked up by the mouthguard and he failed his HIA, but he should be fine."

Overall, van Rooyen was happy with return of two wins out of three for the tour.

"I think we travelled 31 hours and not once was there a negative word coming from the group," he added.

"Not once were their heads hanging. That speaks a lot about our character and where we are and what we want to represent.

"Looking at the bigger picture, it was tough, it was tight, but it was a good opportunity for us to get close as a group. To get two out of three wins â- there was a lot to fix, but a lot to be proud of."