Warning to Zebre — Fearless Lions want to end URC campaign with a bang

The Lions have got nothing but pride to play for when they take on lowly Italian side Zebre in their final United Rugby Championship round-robin game at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday.

But, they want to make the most of the occasion and according to assistant coach Ricardo Loubscher, want to make up for a lost opportunity against Leinster last weekend.

The Lions gave up a 15-point lead halfway through the second half to lose 39-36 against the unbeaten URC leaders and powerhouse side from Dublin.

Missed chances

“This is a massive game for us,” said Loubscher about the match at Loftus Versfeld (1pm), where the Bulls will take on Leinster later in the day (4pm) in a double-header fixture on Saturday.

“We were good in the first half against Leinster, but then poor discipline in the second half cost us, and we allowed them back into the game.

“We scored five tries against them, but we missed out on four, five, six more, so this match is about finishing off those missed chances. We want to put in a clinical performance.”

Finish on a high

Loubscher said the Lions respected Zebre, who haven’t won a match this season, and wouldn’t underestimate them, but that it was a case of the Joburg side going out and improving on last week’s effort and ending their season on the right note.

“The score from their match against the Bulls (78-12) suggests they will come out guns blazing and their coach will no doubt demand a better performance,” said Loubscher, “but we also want to finish the season on a high.”

This sentiment was echoed by flyhalf Gianni Lombard.

“We want to finish on a high note, as we look to build for next season,” said the No 10.

Lombard said the biggest take-away from the Lions’ season — they will finish no higher than ninth on the log — is that over time the players learned to let go and just play.

“Not having fear anymore,” said Lombard about the biggest highlight for him over the course of the campaign. “And, putting teams under pressure. You could see the confidence building every week, how trust started to build between the players.

“I believe this team will get better and better, especially if we stick to what we’ve been doing.”