The Emirates Lions have become very clear on what they want out of Friday night’s Vodacom United Rugby Championship match against Cardiff in the Welsh capital: A win and nothing else.
Sitting in eighth spot, the Lions know all too well what they need to do, and know that whatever happens in this game will almost be a season-defining moment for them.
Win this game and their top-eight prospects are pretty decent, especially with four games at home to end off the season. Lose and it gets a lot harder with a congested log where 15 teams can still qualify for the eight spots.
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With six weeks remaining, the race to the eight is as tight as it's ever been.
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Cardiff are on a three-game losing streak, but they also just got their coach, Matt Sheeratt, back from coaching Wales in the Six Nations. The side are desperate to make the top eight as well, especially given the depressing state of rugby in Wales at the moment, and will be tough opposition for the Lions.
But that in itself is an opportunity and the Lions' decision to bring back all their big guns for the clash will be a massive boost in itself, showing their intent in going for the victory.
DEFINING MOMENT
Forwards coach Barend Pieterse echoed that sentiment ahead of the match, saying this was a defining moment for the team, one where they had to show they could win on the road, especially as they were disappointed in some of their results this season.
“Naturally we would want to be higher on the log,” Pieterse said.
“We disappointed ourselves in certain games where we should have gotten more out of the games. But, saying that, we had a look at where we were last year and we were also eighth.
"All the games that are still ahead are still in our hands and we are lucky to have our last four games at home. This is why this tour is so important for us, so that we can get points and then build on that when we get back to South Africa.”
The Lions will be keeping this group of players together and admitted they hadn’t even spoken about flying in different players for next weekend’s clash against defending champions Glasgow Warriors, or their EPCR Challenge Cup Round of 16 match against Edinburgh the week after.
“We have talked about it, but at the moment as we stand now, we really want to keep this group of guys together for as long as possible. We want to give ourselves a fair chance in both of these games and in the EPCR Challenge Cup as well. As it stands now, we haven’t really spoken about flying guys in and out. If it goes well we want to see how far we can go in both competitions,” Pieterse added.
TOUGH MATCH
“This game will be tough. They are a different team compared to the previous seasons, especially as their head coach was involved in coaching Wales. I also know their forwards coach - Corniel van Zyl - very well and know that they are a very well-drilled team. They showed a lot of improvement from last season.
“Again we want to win this game, and the points - from fourth to 14th is so close, so every point counts for us. We need to win and that is the big focus for us.”
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While the team is hoping the early spring conditions give them good weather and an even playing field, they know they will have to slightly modify their game plan. Still, keeping to their strengths and the return of the likes of Springboks Ruan Venter and Quan Horn, and midfield kingpin Henco van Wyk makes a difference.
“You will always have to modify it a little bit. Even back home, in the last game against the Sharks, the conditions were a little difficult. We will have to modify it a little bit but we don’t want to go away from our strengths. The weather here is amazing at the moment - it looks almost like weather back home and while they are predicting rain a bit for the game, we will play the situation as we can on the day.
“Our strength is keeping the ball and I don’t see us changing too much from that.
RETURNING PLAYERS THE KEY
“The return of those guys and Ruan Venter as well, does give us a lot of confidence. All of them were very good throughout the season. It isn’t an easy decision to say someone comes into the team again because of the way the other guys played well while they were injured. We are lucky at the moment to have that depth in the squad.”
A fast start is what is needed and the Lions know their lethargic start in Durban in their last game cost them dearly.
“In the first half, we just weren’t good enough. We felt our work rate was too low. There is no excuse now after long travel and being lethargic. We made that a big talking point this week. That and finishing off the opportunities we create.
“But the biggest chat for us from that game is that we can’t start a game like that again.”
Friday night will be where the Lions need to prove it. A win in Cardiff can do so much for their campaign, and they know it.