Lions are flying, but now comes the tough part

They have virtually qualified for the Vodacom United Rugby Championship playoffs and got further than they have ever been in the tournament, but now the toughest part of the equation waits for the Fidelity Securedrive Lions.

While this is an off week to plot and plan, on Saturday night they fly out to Dublin for the last part of the regular season, and a part that will make or break their dreams.

Next weekend they have a showdown against defending URC champions Leinster, a game that couldn’t be bigger for the Joburg side if they tried. Leinster are currently fourth, one game below the Lions and surprisingly were beaten after the hooter by Benetton this past weekend.

The Irish side have their eyes firmly on the Investec Champions Cup semifinal this weekend against Toulon, and will be smarting from their loss to the Italians ahead of such an important fixture.

Whatever happens in that game is likely to set the trend for the way they approach the Lions’ game. For the Lions the next two weeks is everything, and could see them finish in the top four, or even drop out if a bizarre series of results goes against them.

But they’ve already mastered a tough road to get to this point, beating log leaders Glasgow last weekend and ending Connacht’s six game winning streak this past weekend - that being done with a defensive display that will give them a lot of heart before getting on the jet plane.

Either way, it doesn’t get easier, but that is what the business end of the competition is for. The big sides stand up and those who can’t take the heat fall by the wayside.

DUBLIN CHALLENGE

The Lions still need to decide where they fit in. They have surpassed many people’s expectations and are riding a wave of form now that they haven’t seen in the six seasons that coach Ivan van Rooyen has been in charge.

But it is a footnote unless they can take those crucial steps further. Few teams tend to win in Dublin, so as a challenge, there aren’t many bigger ones for them.

Van Rooyen admitted a win in Dublin won’t be enough in their minds to say the playoff job is done, especially with Munster waiting in Limerick a week later.

“Probably not. If you look too much at Munster, Leinster can give you a proper smack. If you look at anything else other than Leinster, we probably won't prepare as we feel we need it,” he said after the win over Connacht.

“So no, it is 100 per cent focused on Leinster. Like I said, to play Glasgow and three Irish teams in the last four games is tough. Again, we've got a couple of days off to just rest and recover the bodies and then we're flying out Saturday night.”

LIONS HAVE GROWN

Van Rooyen highlighted the aspect that the team has grown across the board, so much so that they are in with a chance of a home quarterfinal. But he reiterated the job is very much not done for the team yet.

“I think in the last two or three seasons, both Francke (Horn, captain) and I hoped for different results. It is in our control at the moment where we are. It doesn’t make me sleep better, I’m not really a good sleeper.

“But it gives us a certain confidence going into games. The feeling in the camp is a bit different as to the past few years, especially because it is in our control and our hands where we end up.

“Two seasons ago we thought we had it and we slipped up in two bad games at home in the last few games. We’ve grown - players and coaches - and we’re proud of how hard people have worked. We’re relieved, but we’re not there yet.”

Van Rooyen said there are still aspects where the team can improve.

“We have grown in terms of self-confidence. Six months ago you said to me we were spiraling out of control and how will we get control back?

"We’ve grown in that aspect, in our decision-making on the field. We are able to place pressure back on the opposition. There are elements in the game that we keep on growing. The last two, three years it wasn’t good enough and perhaps this year it is different.”

The Lions will know when they get to Dublin they will have to be at their best. But this season they have dreamed and won, and gotten this far. They now need to prove they can do it at one of the most imposing venues in the tournament.