The Lions are taking plenty of momentum from a three game winning run into the Challenge Cup which kicks off this weekend.
The in-form Lions will be looking to rotate their squad over the next two months, to keep their side fresh, as they kick-off their Challenge Cup campaign against Benetton at Ellis Park this coming weekend.
After a dreadful start to the season that saw the Lions produce three poor performances on the road to lose their opening three United Rugby Championship (URC) games, they have bounced back in style.
They picked up positive home wins over Scarlets and Ulster, before producing their best effort of the season over the past weekend, an entertaining 43-33 bonus point win over the Bulls at Loftus, which lifted them above their highveld rivals to seventh on the URC log.
Those three triumphs have given the Lions plenty of confidence and terrific momentum to take into the Challenge Cup as they aim for a winning start to the competition.
But their success in Europe’s top club competition’s second division will hinge on a complete squad effort, as coach Ivan van Rooyen revealed that they will be giving the wider group a run, with some difficult traveling coming up over a busy festive period.
The Lions will thus likely back a full-strength team for the match against Benetton, who comfortably beat them in Treviso in the URC in October, with the Johannesburg side looking to overturn that result and get off to a strong start in the Challenge Cup.
Weakened side
Next weekend they will probably send a weakened side to England to face Newcastle Red Bulls in their second game, and keep their frontline players at home to make sure they are fresh and ready for a tough URC encounter against the Stormers in Cape Town a week later.
“I think we can prioritise (certain games), because it (traveling) obviously puts a bit of stress on our squad. The challenge is going to Newcastle, which I think two weeks ago was already frozen and full of snow,” explained Van Rooyen.
“So do we want to put travel stress on the players, and go from 25-35 degrees to minus five? Then we have to come back and play the Stormers away. Four of our next six games are away, so it’s important for us to manage bodies and loads.
“We have already shown (in previous seasons) that we use our full squad in the EPCR. I do think this season we are better prepared than last. So, at home we want to keep the momentum going, and away, against Newcastle and Perpignan, we need to find ways to win.”
Speaking about their win over the Bulls, Van Rooyen said he was proud and very happy with the strides made by his team after a difficult start to the season, and that their efforts over the November international break had been rewarded.
“I’m really proud of the effort. We worked hard the last month to get at a level where we hope we can compete. Our last win here (at Loftus) was in 2023 with a really special performance, so I’m happy for the win and happy for the guys who’ve worked really hard.”
