Rugby-Sunwolves coach proud despite failed attempt to tame Lions

TOKYO, Feb 27 (Reuters) - Sunwolves coach Mark Hammett will readily accept defeat in the Japanese franchise's maiden Super Rugby season if they play with the same conviction displayed in Saturday's 26-13 loss to the Lions in their first match. Hastily assembled with minimal preparation, the Tokyo-based side drew solace from the fact that they avoided a Lions mauling many had predicted, staying abreast with the South Africans through long stretches of their home debut. "We're very proud of the whole group and effort that's gone into a very, very short time in preparation to get this game started," Hammett told reporters. "We can always handle losing if we know that our players had given their everything." The New Zealander suggested that some of the calls made against his team may have been harsh but admitted that was part of the task a new franchise faced. "One thing we all have to get used to as a new team coming in is we won't always get the rub of the green... we need to be bigger than that and stay optimistic and play the game we want to play," he added. The Sunwolves made a series of penetrative runs with little reward against the Lions but coping with the physical aspect of Super Rugby appears to be the biggest challenge ahead of the rookie outfit. "On attack, we showed that we can keep up with the pace of the game. That was not a problem. The speed we're comfortable with, it's the physicality we need to be better at," Hammett added. Captain Shota Horie admitted that while he was disappointed with the result, he was buoyed by his team's performance. "The Lions were very strong physically, pushing us back behind the advantage line on many occasions. But we also showed we can defend well," he said. "A defeat is hard to swallow but the season has just started and we hope to build from this game." Horie also refused to take sole credit for his 61st minute try, the franchise's first in Super Rugby, that reduced the visitors' lead to 19-13 and gave home fans hope of a stunning debut win. "I felt fortunate to score the first try because it's very difficult to score in Super Rugby," the former Melbourne Rebels hooker said. "I think that was only my second try in Super Rugby. I was lucky because the ball came in front of me after phases involving the whole team." (Reporting by Shinichi Saoshiro and Nobuhiro Kubo; Editing by John O'Brien)