The Lions’ gritty EPCR Challenge Cup victory over Lyon at Ellis Park on Saturday was a triumph of the side’s adaptability and depth for coach Ivan van Rooyen, who was left purring over a squad that continues to find solutions under pressure.
Coming off an emotionally charged United Rugby Championship derby win over the Sharks, the Johannesburg side were tested again before a ball was even kicked. Van Rooyen revealed that a bruising week on the injury front forced late changes and threw the Lions’ preparations into disarray, making the eventual win all the more satisfying.
The four-match suspension of loose forward Ruan Venter was compounded by injury niggles that ruled out winger Kelly Mpeku and prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye in the week, while flank Sibabalo Qoma got hurt in Saturday’s warm-up.
Those setbacks opened the door for unlikely heroes, most notably Junior Springbok loose forward Batho Hlekani, who had been with the squad for just 10 days before being thrust into the starting lineup in the place of Qoma. Fellow newcomer Sibabalwe Mahashe, who had never previously played for the Lions, was also called onto the bench.
Player of the Match 🏆
A try on debut 🔥
The script writes itself.
Welcome to the Lions, Batho. 🦁#ChallengeCupRugby | #ForOurCity | #LIOvLYO#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/wwyggymUUf— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) January 10, 2026
Rather than unravel, the Lions leaned on composure, leadership and work ethic – hallmarks that are becoming increasingly evident under Van Rooyen’s guidance and Francke Horn’s leadership on the field. The coach praised the group’s growing ability to adapt to adversity in-game and respond positively to setbacks.
“It’s actually the proudest feeling that our guys give us solutions, that (they) just work hard,” he said. “Once again, the same as the other day against the Sharks, Francke and the others that stayed on the field came up with solutions. I think that’s where we’ve grown a lot.”
Van Rooyen pointed to a clear shift in mentality compared to previous seasons, where setbacks often led to momentum slipping away.
“The feeling was that in the past we slipped and kept slipping, and now we are beginning to quickly come up with more solutions,” coach “Cash” said.
Hlekani’s powerful carrying game made an immediate impact, earning him the Player-of-the-Match award on debut.
“Everyone knows how good Batho carries,” Van Rooyen said. “In the short time I’ve worked with him, what really impressed me was that he’s still humble, wants to just work hard and make a difference. It’s nice that he’s a Lion.”
Captain Horn echoed those sentiments, highlighting the leadership group’s role in settling the debutants and allowing them to play to their strengths.
“Batho getting the Player-of-the-Match, I think was richly deserved,” Horn said. “Obviously the job as a captain in the leadership group is to keep him calm and just to give him confidence.”
Horn explained that simplicity was key to unlocking Hlekani’s best attributes.
“You just tell him, ‘listen, take the ball, carry and get us going-forward’, and I think he did extremely well.”
The skipper also reserved praise for Mahashe’s energetic contribution off the bench in the 42-33 victory, the first of the competition for the Joburg side.
“And then for the other Siba (Mahashe) to come onto the bench and then to play a full 20 minutes and actually make a huge impact with tempo in the game, it just shows the quality of training we’re doing at the moment against each other,” Horn said.
The Lions will be hoping to make it back-to-back wins in the competition when they travel to France to face Perpignan on Saturday, which would secure their place in the Challenge Cup play-offs.
