Lions brace for Edinburgh in crunch URC clash

Having picked up three wins in as many weeks, the Lions are on the move – and in touching distance of the top 10 on the United Rugby Championship points table.

After an iffy start to the year, the Lions have won against Cardiff (37-20), Munster (23-21) and Ospreys (45-15), climbing to 12th position on the log.

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But if they have any hopes of moving inside the top 10 they dare not lose against Edinburgh at Ellis Park this weekend. It’s going to be another big test for Ivan van Rooyen and his charges as the men from Scotland will be on a high, having handed the Sharks a 21-5 walloping last weekend.

Add to that the fact that the tourists will be able to call on a few more of Scotland’s Six Nations players this weekend, men like former South African props WP Nel and Pierre Schoeman.

Also in the ranks are two other well-known props in Boan Venter and Luan de Bruin, both former Cheetahs men who played against the Sharks. Then there are the backs, Jaco van der Walt and Henry Immelman, who started their careers in South Africa.

“They’ve got a lot of internationals in their team, but the biggest mistake we can make is to focus on individuals,” said Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher.

“Every week is a big challenge, and this week is no different. Edinburgh are a quality side and there will be no underestimating them.”

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Loubscher said the Lions’ confidence was finally back where it should be thanks to their performances over the last few weeks.

“We’ve taken a step in the right direction. The confidence is back and that’s nice to see,” said Loubscher.

“We’re happy with the performances of late. While we missed a few opportunities last weekend, we’ve stepped up in other areas, like turning pressure into points, our tempo of play has been good and the character of the players and the belief they’ve shown has been pleasing to see.”

While happy with the turn-around of late, Loubscher said there was no point looking too far ahead or targeting a finishing position.

“The big focus must be on handling what is in front of us. We mustn’t look beyond the next game, and that is Edinburgh. We will do all our work and analysis this week and like always come up with a plan, and hope it works for us on the day.”

Kick off on Saturday is at 4.10pm.