Lions to show off preferred style, game-plan in home conditions in URC

The Lions are excited to be back on home soil and ready to adapt their game plan to their preferred style when they take on Zebre in their United Rugby Championship (URC) clash at Ellis Park on Saturday afternoon.

It is their first game back after a gruelling four-week European tour, where they played a forward orientated game plan in tough wet and windy conditions in Scotland, Italy, Wales and Ireland.

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Now back in sunny South Africa the team will need to adapt their game plan once again to suit the conditions, with assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher explaining that is what is needed to be successful in this competition.

“I think what we need is two different styles. When you go on tour and you see the conditions you need a plan for wet weather and then you need a plan for when we are back home (in dry conditions). So we have to be flexible around that,” explained Loubscher.

“Hopefully in the coming games at home we can show what we are really capable of in terms of playing with ball in hand.

“We want to get the ball to the edges as much as possible, we want the wings to get the ball. We want to run at teams but you can’t do that if the conditions do not allow it.”

Good win

The Lions will be desperate for a good win over Zebre, with them just one win from five in the URC so far, after they lost their opening match at home against the Stormers, and then lost three of their four tour games, only managing a tight one point win over Scarlets in Llanelli.

Bulls coach Jake White said earlier in the week that the unfavourable month-long tours for SA teams should be done away with, but Loubscher had a different view of it, claiming that it brought their team together.

“We love the touring. If you look at our past, we are almost better off playing away from home. On this tour, we got tighter and we showed a lot of fight. Every game went down to the last minute and we could have won more than we did,” said Loubscher.

“But yes, it is good to be home and in the conditions that favour how we ideally want to play and we are looking forward to being back in front of our home fans.”