Young Lions loose forward Jarod Cairns believes their extended squad has what it takes to beat Newcastle Red Bulls in their back yard.
Lions loose forward Jarod Cairns said that their fringe brigade are fired up to put in a big performance in their Challenge Cup second round match against Newcastle Red Bulls in England on Saturday night, to set things right after a disappointing loss against Benetton.
The Lions’ full-strength team, which featured Cairns, slipped to a poor 26-18 defeat against the Italian visitors in their competition opener at Ellis Park over the past weekend, and now have the unenviable task of trying to beat Newcastle away from home with a weakened side to get themselves up and running.
Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen explained before the competition started that they would be sending players from their extended squad on their tour matches to England and France where they will face Perpignan in January, to keep their frontline players fresh.
So winning at home was vital to their goal of hosting a playoff in the competition, but that chance might already be gone after their loss last weekend.
A young and exciting squad now have to attempt to upset Newcastle on their home turf, and Cairns says they have a fire in them, and that they can be up to the challenge.
Tough result
“It was a tough result for us (against Benetton). We came back, went to the drawing board and we identified what we need to fix. We’re going to come out this weekend with a bit of a punch and we know what we need to do there,” explained Cairns.
“We looked at each other in the change room, in the eyes, and we said that we’d never want to feel like that again. So we’re going over there with a bit of fire in us.
“As a player group heading over we are very fired up. There are guys who want to go there and prove that they do deserve their opportunity. But we are going as a collective and we just want to get a good result there. Especially after the result on the weekend.”
For many of the players it is their first tour to England, so it will be a completely new experience, while a number of thrilling new combinations could also be playing in a competitive match together for the first time.
“It is exciting. Obviously we train day in and day out together, so we all know what each of us can do. But it is exciting to go on the field and play with some new combinations,” said Cairns.
“It’s the first time a lot of us will be there, it’s the UK weather, and it’s winter that side. It’s going to be wet. We have heard stories about how tough it is playing over there. So it’s not going to be easy and we just have to go over with the right mindset and do the job.”
