Equation is clear for the Lions, its win at all costs

For the Fidelity Securedrive Lions, the equation is clear: A win against Munster this weekend is all that matters.

The Lions lost their top-four status with their 31-7 loss to Leinster on Saturday, and their situation is so acute - the close nature of the race for the top eight spots means they have not yet secured a playoff spot, even though dropping out is unlikely.

A solitary point on the log is what they need ahead of their Vodacom United Rugby Championship clash in Limerick this Saturday, and they will achieve their first-ever playoff spot.

To think they are in fifth spot and still aren’t 100 per cent sure of a spot is strange, but it does underline the competitiveness of the league this season.

Munster are also a side in a bit of disarray at the moment. Their campaign is struggling, and they are undergoing an internal review after the botched appointment of Roger Randle as assistant coach. Other than that they are in the middle of a retrenchment process, and the general feeling around the club is far from positive.

Saying that, the Lions still need to do the job on the field. After six successive wins, they slumped to a very poor defeat in Dublin, letting Leinster score three tries in the last 10 minutes to balloon the scoreline.

That is why the Lions aren’t looking at permutations, but rather keeping it simple. They know they may well already be in the playoffs by the time they kick off on Saturday night, but they can’t prepare like that.

They need to win and that is all that counts.

A win gives them more control over a playoff spot, and could see them head to Loftus Versfeld for a quarterfinal, a ground they have already won on this season.

A loss means they are likely to stay in Europe for the playoff, and that makes things a lot more difficult.

Captain Francke Horn has rightly dismissed the permutations question, and reiterated a win is all that counts.

“We are going full out for the win this weekend, and then the top eight will take care of itself,” Horn said. “I won’t say we are desperate. That can put shackles on your performance, but we are going into this match extremely positive.”

“Our goal has always been to make the top eight. If we win this weekend, we do that, so it’s basically as straightforward as that. A win makes sure we’re in the top eight – then you don’t have to worry about who plays where and who has to lose that spot.”

Horn did admit that the team let themselves down against Leinster, but believes they can get it back on track against Munster and that their own failings aren’t something to be concerned about.

“Obviously, the guys wanted to put up a good performance. And we let ourselves a bit down. I don't think, well, say the first 65 minutes, we stayed in the fight,” he said.

“We still played good rugby, putting Leinster under pressure. And there were one or two mistakes that were uncharacteristic. So individuals already put their hand up and said, yeah, we need to be better there and keep more hold of the ball.

"But Leinster does do that to you. So, yeah, we already know how to fix that. We've been working really hard the last two days on that. The last 10 minutes was a big talking point for us. I won't necessarily say the heads dropped. I just think there were one or two individual errors, one or two calls that didn't go our way that put us under pressure.

“The guys are disappointed about the last 10 minutes. But that was not the trend throughout the whole game. And, yeah, we're already looking ahead of Leinster.”

The Lions will name their side for the clash on Friday.