Lions aiming for Challenge Cup knockouts with win over Dragons

The Lions are targeting a place in the Challenge Cup knockouts when they welcome Welsh side Dragons to Ellis Park for their playoff shootout on Saturday evening (kick-off 5:15pm).

The Lions are currently fifth in pool two, with the top four progressing to the last 16, but are equal on points with Dragons, who are only ahead of them on points difference.

That means that whoever wins will go through to the next round, as bottom side Newcastle Falcons are unable to get into the mix no matter the outcome.

Eager to impress

Lions eighthman Francke Horn says the team is eager to impress back on home turf, especially after a disappointing showing in their last match against Montpellier in France over the past weekend.

“We were really disappointed in the performance we put out at Montpellier, and luckily we still have an opportunity to qualify. It’s a straight shootout, so we are just focusing on ourselves,” explained Horn.

“We know we have what it takes, so we aren’t going (into the match) with a lot of pressure. It is more an opportunity for us to advance. We are also back at home for the first time in a while and we are really looking forward to playing in front of our fans.”

The Lions will be confident heading into the game as they have never lost to Dragons before, beating them home and away in the United Rugby Championship (URC), while they have only drawn against them once in the Challenge Cup.

“It depends how you look at it. Some people might say we are under pressure not to lose. But we have confidence that we can beat them,” said Horn.

“But it’s not going to be an easy game. They also need to win to stay in the competition. Also looking at where they are in the URC (bottom of log) I really think they will be gunning for this game in terms of turning their season (around).

“So we will have to be at our very best and we are hoping to put in a strong performance at home in front of a good crowd.”

Back in form

The Lions will also be desperate to get themselves back in form and build some momentum ahead of a difficult run of local derbies in the URC that are coming up.

They have lost five of their last six games, across the URC and Challenge Cup, with all five losses coming on the road, and they will want to turn things around with a statement performance against Dragons.

“We started (the season) pretty well, but have now been through a bit of a dip. We can use excuses about traveling and playing a lot of away games. But we pride ourselves on being good enough to overcome those obstacles,” said Horn.

“So we are a little bit disappointed with our performances. The last game in particular, but in all those games we were still in the match until the 60^th or 65^th minute.

“We are adapting a little bit. We have made some new plans. But I think the biggest thing is everyone needs to take personal responsibility and do their job, and when we as a team play well, we can make a statement.”