Lions look to bounce back from Currie Cup heartbreak ahead of URC opener

The Lions face the arduous task of overcoming the disappointment of losing their second consecutive Currie Cup final, as they prepare for their opening United Rugby Championship (URC) clash later this week.

The dismay of losing to the Griquas in a tightly contested 25-24 final this past weekend will have to be quickly forgotten and cosigned to the past, if the Joburgers are to make a winning start to the franchise tournament against Cardiff Rugby on Saturday (kick-off 8.45pm).

That, however, will be easier said than done.

The truth is that the Lions were the overwhelming favourites to lift the coveted Cup against a determined Griquas, marking their shock defeat all the more bitter. No doubt compounding that dejection is the likelihood that the matchday 23 that lost the final — the second in as many seasons — will be largely similar to the team that runs out at Cardiff Arms Park this weekend.

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen and his technical staff, therefore, face a massive task to get their team mentally prepared for the opening round clash, while also instilling belief that they can finally secure a Top 8 finish in the URC – a goal they have failed to achieve in four previous URC seasons.

The Lions have been preparing for the URC for weeks, during a pre-season that overlapped with their Currie Cup campaign, so the squad and coaches will require renewed convincing that their efforts this past month have also not been in vain. Moreover, they will start the URC campaign without nearly 20 squad players, all recovering from injury.

Recent rumours that Springbok fullback Quan Horn, who captained the Lions in the recent final loss, might be on his way out could further impact the delicate psychological balance within the Doornfontein-based side.

Last week, during the Lions’ Awards, Van Rooyen projected confidence about the build-up to the URC.

“I think it’s been going well,” he said.

“We’ve had a split pre-season. Some of the guys had a short pre-season into the Currie Cup, to get them playing a little bit, get their minutes up and get them into form.

"There was also an additional group that had about eight weeks of old-school pre-season where we laid a good foundation. We’ve still got about 15, 16 guys out injured or not playing. Ninety-nine percent of them should be back before December, so I think we will be good."

“We have really honed in on a lot of deep basics," Van Rooyen continued, "worked hard on the fundamentals, on our game model and how we wanted to play. We are really excited about the URC season, to be honest.”

The Lions hold a favourable record against Cardiff, winning three of the last four clashes. They narrowly lost 20-17 last season in a match they will admit, with frustration, they should have won.

The team can, moreover, take solace in the fact that they started last year’s URC campaign positively – despite losing the Currie Cup then in a similar fashion to the Sharks – with wins over Ulster and Edinburgh at home, followed by away victories against the Dragons and Zebre.

“On Tuesday afternoon, we jump onto the plane,” said Van Rooyen of the week ahead. “Monday, we will have a good clarity session to fix the weekend and preview Cardiff. We arrive in Wales on Wednesday evening.

"The Cardiff game is important for us to start well," Van Rooyen added.

"Last year, the Currie Cup helped our form, especially in those first couple of games — the guys were fit and game ready. Hopefully, we can get the same results in this first block, and then the challenge will be after three away games, coming back to play two tough home games.”

As alluded to by Van Rooyen, after Cardiff the Lions will face Italian outfits Zebre and Benetton (both away), before their first home matches of the tournament against Scarlets on October 18, followed by Ulster a week later to complete the first block of fixtures.

LIONS touring squad

Forwards: Asenathi Ntlanakanye, Darrien Landsberg, Dylan Joblom, Etienne Oosthuizen, Franco Marais, Francke Horn, Jarod Cairns, Juan Schoeman, Morne Brandon, Ruan Delport, Renzo Du Plessis, RF Schoeman, Ruan Venter, Sebastian Lombard, SJ Kotze, WJ Steenkamp

Backs: Angelo Davids, Eduan Keyter, Haashim Pead, Henco van Wyk, Lubabalo Dobela, Manuel Rass, Nico Steyn, Quan Horn, Richard Kriel, Rynhardt Jonker, Sam Francis, Tapiwa Mafura

On standby: Siba Qoma, JC Pretorius, Chris Smith, Morne vd Berg

European tour fixtures

Saturday: v Cardiff @ Cardiff Arms Park, 8.45pm

Sunday, October 5: v Zebre @ Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, 3pm

Saturday, Oct 11: v Benetton @ Stadio Monigo, 4pm

* This story has been updated with Lions touring squad