Pieterse praises impact of substitutes

LIONS forwards coach Barend Pieterse praised the impact the bench made in bringing them back into the weekend's match against Zebre, even though the Joburgers were unable to hold out and lost the second-round match by two points at the death in Parma.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

The Lions trailed 12-3 at halftime, but the introduction of fresh legs in the second stanza injected new life into their play, stabilising the set piece and ensuring they enjoyed more front-foot ball.

Prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye was immense in the tight phases and open play, often requiring two or more Zebre defenders to bring him down.

The hard-running Morne Brandon was also a handful for the Italians and his try was no more than his efforts deserved.