Lions ready for tough Connacht at the Sportsground

The Lions are primed and ready for their massive United Rugby Championship (URC) match-up against Connacht in Galway on Saturday evening (kick-off 7:15pm) as they look to get their European tour off to a strong start.

The odds are heavily stacked against them, with no South African team having ever beaten the hosts at the Sportsground, while the Lions are yet to beat Connacht in the URC, after they lost 33-30 at home in their first season in the competition, before going down heavily 43-24 in Galway last season.

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Despite the difficulties they are set to face, with some tough weather conditions in store, Lions fullback Quan Horn is confident that they can challenge their Irish hosts in what could be a thrilling game.

“It is going to be very tough. Connacht are a quality side here and even when we have faced them in SA. The weather played havoc last time we were here, with cold and windy conditions. So we’ve prepared well so we’ll implement accordingly,” explained Horn.

Luckily it’s (the conditions) nothing new for us. Having been on quite a few URC tours in cold conditions, it’s something we are familiar with. Nothing beats sunny SA, but this is where we are now with a job waiting to be done.

“We have to stick to our structures and back our abilities. We’ve played decent rugby at home, with a win against the Sharks three weeks ago.

“Our first tour back in October (last year) was a compilation of close results each resulting in losing bonus points. We took that as a positive but we obviously want to go a step further by picking up a few wins away from home (this time).”

Long tour

The Connacht match is the first of a potentially four game European tour for the Lions, with them following up against Ospreys in Swansea in the URC, before traveling to Treviso to take on Benetton in the Challenge Cup last 16.

If they lose the match in Italy they will head back to SA, but if they win they will either head to France to take on Pau, or back to Galway to face Connacht again, in the Challenge Cup quarterfinals.

Horn admits that the team always enjoys touring and that they aren’t looking too far ahead and just taking every game as it comes over the coming weeks.

“The vibe in the squad is exciting to be honest. Touring is always good as it gives us the opportunity to bond and spend a bit of time together as a squad. It is a tough three games yes, but we are up for it,” said Horn.

“We are taking it one game at a time. Three weeks is a long time away from home. The focus for now is Connacht on Saturday. It’s important we start well in order for us to build momentum for everything that lies ahead.”