Lions players in a scrum during a United Rugby Championship match earlier this season. Picture: Gordon Arons/Gallo Images
The Lions are gearing up for what is set to be a typically tough forward battle when they take on hosts Benetton in their Challenge Cup last 16 encounter at the Stadio di Monigo in Treviso on Saturday evening.
It is the second time the two sides are meeting in Italy this season, after Benetton triumphed in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash late last year, and another tight game is on the cards.
Many of Benetton’s Italian internationals will still be on a high after an impressive showing in this year’s Six Nations, so the Lions will have to be at their absolute best if they want to give themselves a chance of beating the fired-up hosts.
“The last time we played here they ended up with a 15-10 win, so it wasn’t a high scoring game. They are a good defensive team and a good set-piece team,” explained Lions scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys.
“Their head coach is also their forwards coach, so they really pride themselves on their set-piece, especially their lineout. They also have great variation on attack, so there is plenty for us to watch out for.
“We are taking them very seriously. They are a team who have a lot of Italian internationals that have come off a really successful Six Nations, so I think they will be full of confidence coming into this game, especially after their last-minute win over Connacht over the past weekend.
“We are coming off a bad loss (in the URC against Ospreys) that really hurt us and we are keen to get ourselves back on the right track.”
The scrum battle will be key and is one that the Lions will be targeting, as it has been an aspect of their game that has shone over the season so far, and they have still kept up their high standards despite losing Asenathi Ntlabakanye to a ban after their win over Connacht a few weeks ago.
“In Europe the forward battle is always very important. The fields here differ. One week you will be playing on an artificial field and the next you will be playing on a muddy field (due to the usual poor weather),” said Redelinghuys.
“So when your scrum is strong you can take advantage. If you have a strong scrum you can capitalise and gain the ascendancy, but if you have a weak scrum you will concede many penalties and end up playing in your own half.”
The Lions will also have a slightly different game plan for this weekend’s match from what they have had in previous URC games, due to them now being in the knockout stage of the competition.
“Being a knockout game it brings a different strategy. You don’t have to worry about bonus points or anything like that. You just need to win, whether it is by one point like the Springboks did in all their knockout games at the World Cup,” said Redelinghuys.
“We are just looking to play towards the identity that we are busy building, so hopefully we will see a lot of that this weekend.”
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