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Lions aim to take URC tour form, confidence into home games — Nothnagel
Having won three matches on tour in Wales and Scotland, the Lions are next up against Irish powerhouse Ulster at Ellis Park.
The Lions, three-times winners in Europe recently, are back at home at Ellis Park this weekend. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The Lions are eager to keep up that winning feeling as they welcome Ulster to Ellis Park for their United Rugby Championship (URC) match on Saturday afternoon.
The team has just returned from a successful three match winning tour of Wales and Scotland, and are on a high after a superb win over Edinburgh at the Dam Health Stadium this past Friday.
Despite their brilliant tour, the team needs to keep themselves grounded, especially with them up against one of the Irish powerhouses.
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“The easiest way to keep our feet on the ground is to take it match by match. I think what we have seen so far in this competition is that any team can beat another on any given day,” admitted Lions captain Reinhard Nothnagel.
“Our win over Edinburgh was really good, especially when you look at their record at home. Our tour as a whole was really good and we took a lot of confidence from it. So we definitely want to take that confidence and form and keep it going throughout the season.”
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The Lions have only played one game at home so far, a disappointing loss against cross-Jukskei rivals the Bulls in their opening match of the season and they will want to try and get back to winning ways at a ground that became a fortress for them against foreign opposition last season.
“Ulster is definitely a quality side. They have always been one of the toughest teams to beat, even when this competition was still the Pro14,” said Nothnagel.
“They also tour well, so that is going to be a big challenge for us. But we are confident, especially after our tour, and everyone is looking forward to the match.”
‘Expect the unexpected’
The Lions are keenly aware of what Ulster brings to the table and will be looking to counteract their game plan. But they are also focusing on themselves as any side can suddenly change it up.
“Ulster will definitely have a good kicking game as they have shown over the first few matches. With that also comes a lot of ball in play. So I think that they will run the ball as well, and that’s what we are expecting,” said Nothnagel.
“But we will also expect the unexpected as any team can change things up on any given day. So we will just be focusing on our processes and we will take that into the game.”
