Captain Jaco Kriel of the Lions faces a tough task against Leinster. Picture: Anton Geyser/Gallo Images
It looks like the Lions will need a miracle if they’re to pull off a win against Leinster in their United Rugby Championship match in Dublin this weekend.
Ivan van Rooyen’s team have their backs to the wall and it’s not looking good for them this weekend either.
Here we look at four reasons why the Lions need as much Irish luck as they can get when they face Leinster at 7.35pm on Friday.
It’s been pretty hot on the highveld in recent weeks, but conditions in Dublin are likely to be just the opposite – icy, windy and wet. The conditions will be alien to most, if not all, of the Lions players who would not have played in the wet and cold of Dublin before.
While they may get lucky with no rain (some predictions insist the heavy rain in the UK and Ireland is over) it is expected to be cold and windy, with a midday high of 9 degrees Celsius. The match though kicks off late evening, and one never knows if it will rain or not.
Adjusting quickly to the conditions will be tough, with the Lions not having much time to acclimatise in Dublin.
The Lions are up against one of the toughest teams to have played in European club rugby. Leinster won the Heineken Cup three times between 2008 and 2012 and also bagged the newer Champions Cup in 2017/18 and were runners up in 2018/19.
The Jonathan Sexton-led side have also dominated the Pro 14 in recent years, winning the title four times in a row between 2018 and 2021. The Pro 14 changed to the United Rugby Championship at the start of the new season last year.
The team from Dublin, based at RDS Arena and also playing out of the Aviva Stadium, are in red hot form, occupying second place on the URC table, with 35 points, a point off the leaders, Ulster, who have 36 points. Leinster though have a game in hand.
Leo Cullen’s side were in good form at the weekend, dealing well with the poor conditions to thump Ospreys 29-7 and move up the points table. So far this season, they have won seven out of nine matches.
The men from Joburg have no form to speak of. They have lost four matches in a row in the last few weeks – all against SA opposition – with two of them at home at Ellis Park. Confidence will be low, with questions being asked about some players, the coaches and the brand of rugby.
The Lions are in 14th place in the 16-team competition with just two wins from eight matches played. Only the Dragons (one win from eight) and Zebre (no wins from seven) have performed worse.
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