‘Games like these, against Glasgow, bring out the best in us,’ says Lions lock

The Lions are not close to hitting the panic button just yet, despite the fact their 20-17 defeat to Cardiff over the past weekend dropped them from eighth to 13^th on the United Rugby Championship (URC) log.

It is an incredibly congested table, and with the top eight teams qualifying for the competition knockouts, the Lions are desperate to finish in the top half for the first time and extend their season.

The defeat against Cardiff was thus costly for two reasons; first, because it dropped them into the bottom half of the log, and second, because it makes their coming encounter against the URC defending champions and second-placed team Glasgow Warriors extremely important.

‘Exciting time’

It isn’t exactly a must-win game, as the Lions still have a four game home run to finish the URC pool stage and they will be heavy favourites for many of those matches back on the Highveld, but a loss against Glasgow this weekend would mean that qualification will be out of their hands, as they will need other teams to slip up down the back end of the competition, while they themselves would have no room for error.

Despite the various permutations, Lions lock Darrien Landsberg said the team are excited for the challenge and that they aren’t worried about where they currently find themselves on the points table.

“It’s an exciting time getting closer and closer to the playoffs. We are on the right track. Yes, we have had a few bumps along the way but I really don’t think it is anything for us to worry about now. We still have four home games that we are very confident about,” explained Landsberg.

“We are just going to take it week by week and make sure we do everything in our power within the week to prepare well.”

Strong Glasgow

Glasgow have been in strong form this season, following up their impressive title run last year, and they will be targeting a win over the Lions to solidify their place near the top of the URC log.

Although they won’t be favourites, the Lions know they can pull some blinding performances out of the bag when they’re on the road, like when they stunned Connacht in Galway last season, becoming the first SA team to win there, and after being reduced to 14-men early in the first half.

They will also want to put in a strong showing to build some confidence ahead of a Challenge Cup last 16 meeting with Edinburgh next weekend.

“I believe we can get a win against Glasgow. It is games like these that we pull tighter together and it brings the best out of each and every one of us,” said Landsberg.

“We are going up against pretty much the Scottish international team, so what better opportunity for us to go and showcase our talent. Then the following week we go up against another team littered with Scottish internationals in Edinburgh, and that is another massive opportunity.

“So two big games ahead, hopefully three (if they qualify for the Challenge Cup quarterfinals) and we will be going all out to try and get three wins in the next three games.”