The Lions have enjoyed the perfect preparation for their United Rugby Championship (URC) quarterfinal encounter against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin next weekend, as they target a massive upset.
It is the Lions‘ first appearance in the URC knockouts, and they have been handed a monstrous task of upsetting the competition defending champions on their home turf.
But they arguably have had the best possible preparation for their biggest match of the past five or so years, and they will have been in Ireland for close to a month by the time they run on the field for their knockout clash.
The Lions left for the UK at the start of the month for their final two pool games of the season, against Leinster in Dublin and Munster in Limerick.
Very competitive
They were competitive in both matches, pushing Leinster hard, before falling off in the final 10 minutes to lose 31-7, while against Munster this last weekend they were in it throughout, and probably should have taken the win with the chances they created, but they instead lost 24-17.
Despite those defeats, being in the country for an extended period means they are well acclimatised, and they have had two extremely tough encounters against Irish giants to prepare them for the match. And though coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted after Saturday’s defeat that they weren’t at their best, he said there were positives to take out of both games.
“We are talking about quality opposition and tough conditions … those are the challenges against Leinster and Munster away,” said Van Rooyen.
“We were consistently just not good enough to capitalise on that (chance to win in Ireland), but there are also enough positives to really get excited about that (quarterfinal) opportunity.”
Van Rooyen highlighted the parts of their game where they impressed and came up short against the two Irish powerhouses.
Good glimpses
“I think in both fixtures, against Leinster and Munster, there were some good glimpses of good physicality, momentum, and quick ball at stages because they can put you under so much pressure in these conditions,” explained Van Rooyen.
“Our decision making can still improve a little bit, and our game management at times has been really good and at times we put ourselves under pressure there.
“Our one-on-one hits have also been good at times and at others we are just not setting (up the defensive line) quick enough, and then they are getting momentum, and once those teams run onto you it is difficult to stop. We also missed quite a bit of detail tonight [Saturday], and that is something we can be sharper with.”
Van Rooyen admitted in a one-off knockout game the pressure on his team was now somewhat off.
“To be honest, I think playing against Leinster at the Aviva creates its own pressure. But in terms of a must-win for log position and getting through (to the Champions Cup), that pressure is now off us,” said Van Rooyen.
“The only question now is, can we rise to the occasion (of a URC knockout) and play our game against Leinster?”
