Johannesburg - If the Lions are able to defeat Edinburgh this weekend, it will conclude an important block of fixtures that will have revitalised the Joburg side and also set them on course for a possible top-half finish in the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Such talk seemed preposterous not even a month ago, but now if the permutations and mathematics fall into place, the Lions could find themselves battling for a quarter-final berth.
The road is long, however, with many a winding turn ...
The turnaround started with a spirited defeat to Leinster at the end of February, and now some five weeks later has seen the Lions beat Cardiff, Munster and most recently Ospreys. Saturday’s match at Ellis Park (4.05pm kick-off) against the Scottish outfit, however, could be their biggest test of the lot.
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Edinburgh come off an impressive 21-5 victory over the Sharks in Durban, and have the luxury of selecting their strongest match-day 23 possible this weekend.
But as pointed out by Lions attack coach Ricardo Loubscher, there is a sense of belief that now permeates through the Lions squad.
“With a few wins under our belt, you can just see the confidence,” said Loubscher in a media briefing on Tuesday.
“(On Tuesday), we had another quality session … It was lekker to see the boys enjoy themselves, and have a bit of fun.
“We are happy with the performance [the 45-15 win over Ospreys], but we also missed out on a few opportunities. But it is always nice after a win to talk about these things. It was a step in the right direction for us from a performance point of view.”
After an exasperating start to 2022, the systems, structures and players at the Lions have seemingly clicked into place. Of course, home advantage has played its part – the Lions still have three more games at Ellis Park in their five remaining matches – but so too an adjustment in attitude and approach.
Loubscher said: “Over the last few weeks, we talked a lot about turning pressure into points – it has been a big focus point for us. It was really pleasing to see the boys come out converting those opportunities.
“Secondly,” he continued, “I think, our tempo.
Our scrummies had themselves a day Saturday 🤩#LionsPride pic.twitter.com/tbI8Z0KsSi
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) March 29, 2022
“It is something that we discussed, especially against Ospreys, against Cardiff, the Munster game. In the second half of the Munster game, we showed a lot of belief and character to come back and put them away, so from a performance point of view, we are happy with the style.
“We obviously have had a few work-ons, and just working on our finishing to convert those opportunities into points.”
If Loubscher’s sentiments are anything to go by, then the former Springbok fullback is expecting the rumble upfront to decide the outcome of the Edinburgh match.
“I want to start off with our setpiece – that is a big focus for us,” said Loubscher.
“Just to have Notties (Reinhard Nothnagel) back, just as a line-out caller, makes a big difference for us, while also having a few guys back from injuries.
“The set-piece will be the point of difference in this game, and if you look at (Edinburgh) they are a balanced side. If you watched the Sharks game, they are happy to play without the ball and focus on their kicking game defensively to put the Sharks under pressure.
“From our point of view, it is just to make sure we improve week-in and week-out with the small things and just turning our opportunities into points.”
The Lions are currently 12th in the URC standings on 26 points, 10 shy of the all-important eighth place, and have a game in hand.
After Edinburgh, they face the Sharks away, before returning to Ellis Park for clashes against Connacht and Benetton, and then finishing off the regular season against the Dragons in Newport, Wales.