The Lions face a baptism of fire in their Champions Cup opener against French giants La Rochelle in France.
Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher says the team is preparing for a massive challenge in their Champions Cup opener against La Rochelle in France on Saturday. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
The Lions are set to face one of their biggest ever challenges when they take on French giants La Rochelle in their first Champions Cup match at the Stade Marcel-Deflandre in France on Saturday evening.
Last season was a breakout one for the Lions as they finished in the top eight of the United Rugby Championship (URC) for the first time and qualified for the playoffs, which also secured their place in the Champions Cup for this season.
They will now face some of the best franchise teams from around the world, and start off against La Rochelle, who are a two time winner of the prestigious tournament, winning back-to-back in the 2021-22 and 2022-23 seasons.
Speaking on Wednesday, Lions assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher, who has spent time coaching in France at Stade Francais, pointed to the incredible atmosphere as a big thing they will need to overcome.
“We’re excited about it. We’re looking forward to the game and the competition. A team like La Rochelle is really good for us to test ourselves against,” said Loubscher from France.
“One of the big things in France is the atmosphere pre-game. There’s a massive vibe and they obviously play with a lot of passion at home.
“The important thing for us is we need to start really well and make sure we silence the crowd. We know the collisions will be a big part of the game and our execution must go a level up.”
Added importance
There is added importance to the match as the Lions are coming off a heavy 57-15 loss to the Bulls in their URC match over the past weekend, and they have two tough URC games to follow in Scotland against Edinburgh and Glasgow Warriors, so they will be eager to bounce back with a big performance.
“Monday was a hard, honest review. But we also made a decision, we’re going to be hard on ourselves and look at where we can be better, but as we walk out of that meeting, we close the door on the Bulls,” explained Loubscher.
“We know this weekend is a different challenge. One of the top teams in Europe, and the main thing for us is we are looking for a response, and that is what we are looking forward to this weekend.”
Any points the Lions can pick up against La Rochelle will be extremely valuable, as they are in an incredibly tough pool featuring fellow French side Toulouse, who won the 2023-24 edition and who they face at home in December, as well as English sides Saracens and Exeter Chiefs, who they play in January.
