Lions target full house of points against Dragons as Challenge Cup kicks off

The Lions are targeting a full house of points and the perfect start to their European Challenge Cup campaign when they host the Dragons at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.

It is the Lions’ first foray into the second division of Europe’s premier club rugby competition, the Challenge Cup, and they will be eager to lay down an early marker.

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The Lions just played the Dragons at home in the United Rugby Championship (URC) a week and a half ago, emerging as 33-25 winners in a game they largely controlled, but were not at their best and thus didn’t manage to pick up a bonus point, which they will be looking to rectify this weekend.

“The challenge is that it’s a sprint within a bigger season, if that makes sense. We only have four games, two at home and two away (in the group stage), so I think it’s vital that we get off to a strong start at home as we have seen historically that is important in this competition,” said Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen.

“Dragons have been here (in South Africa) for three weeks so they know what to expect and will probably use the majority of the same team.

“So it is vital for us to get as many points as possible at home, and see how many points we can get away from home to hopefully get a home round of 16, quarter and semi, and then we all know that the final is away.”

Points difference

The Lions will also be looking to rack up a good points difference win that could play a big part in their progress later in the competition, and where they will be playing their knockout games if they get that far into the tournament.

“First off we need the result, ideally with a bonus point. With us playing four games (in the group stage) there is a potential 20 points (up for grabs), so anything less than 14 points becomes an arm wrestle with point’s difference coming into play,” explained Van Rooyen.

“In terms of our mindset, especially at home, you want to get as many points as you can get and build up a good point’s difference. Because there are only four games the log can get quite congested and there is a definite split between the top and bottom teams.

“So it is really important for us to focus on this weekend’s match and try and get off to the best possible start.”