Captain Francke Horn and forwards coach Wessel Roux say the Lions are ignoring playoff permutations and focusing on one thing – beating Munster on Saturday.
The fifth-placed Lions head to Thomond Park knowing a win over sixth-placed Munster will seal a top-eight place and a first Vodacom URC playoff appearance.
While both sides will know exactly what they need to do before kick-off of the last match of the final round, both Horn and Roux are clear on the approach.
“Our goal has always been to make the top eight,” said Horn. “If we win this weekend we do that, so it’s basically as straightforward as that. A win makes sure we’re in the top eight – then you don’t have to worry about who plays where and who has to lose that spot.”
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Roux echoed that mindset, saying the energy spent on permutations was wasted.
“We try to keep focused on the things that we can control,” he said. “I think it puts unnecessary pressure to try to do the maths and permutations and try to work out positions.”
The Lions have spent the past few days identifying what went wrong in their 31-7 loss to Leinster in Dublin.
Horn felt the defeat was not a true reflection of the performance for large parts of the game.
“The first 65 or so minutes we stayed in the fight, we played good rugby and put Leinster under pressure,” he said. “There were one or two mistakes that were uncharacteristic. Individuals have already put their hands up and said we need to be better there.”
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Horn pointed to Leinster’s rush defence as a factor, but said the Lions had worked hard on their response this week.
“We already have our plans for Munster and how we want to force our game onto them,” he said. “It’s a straight shootout. Munster are also going to be desperate – they need a win. So it’s going to be a massive game.”
Roux highlighted the set-piece and kicking game as key areas, noting Leinster’s aerial dominance had disrupted the Lions’ attacking platform.
“We are really focused on creating a good set-piece platform and also having an upper hand when it comes to lineouts and mauling,” he said. “That’s something we discussed this week, to give the backs a good platform to attack.”
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Horn was clear on intent heading into Saturday.
“We are going full out for the win this weekend and then the top eight will take care of itself,” he said. “I won’t say we are desperate – that can put shackles on your performance – but we are going into this match extremely positive.”
Photo: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images
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