Defence coach Jaque Fourie says the Lions must be switched on for 80 minutes at Ellis Park on Saturday, following last week’s narrow win over the defending URC champions.
Ivan van Rooyen’s charges head into their round-two clash after edging Leinster 27-26 in Joburg. Erich Cronjé scored twice and Kelly Mpeku added the decisive try as the Pride held on despite a Fintan Gunne hat-trick.
They now face an Ospreys side that opened its campaign with a 41-24 defeat by the Sharks in Durban.
“There’s a lot we had to work on after last Saturday’s game against Leinster,” Fourie told reporters in a press junket ahead of this week’s clash.
“We now have to make sure we start with a clean slate because we know that the Ospreys will provide a different kind of challenge.
“In addition, we have prepared well for this match and we are excited about what awaits us this weekend.”
The Lions have been boosted by the return of Springboks Morné van den Berg and Quan Horn. Henco van Wyk is unavailable after suffering a head knock against Leinster.
The Welsh visitors have made several changes, with Liam Wright and Keelan Giles named as co-captains and Dan Edwards returning at flyhalf.
Wright, Harri Deaves and Morgan Morse form the loose-forward combination, while experienced loose forward Ross Moriarty provides cover from the bench.
“It doesn’t matter whether we play Ospreys at home or away, matches against them always provide a difficult challenge,” Fourie added.
“They boast a huge pack and their rolling and scrum work is good. We saw that last weekend against the Sharks how they improved in that area of their game.
“Then they are also a team that never gives up. They play for the full 80 minutes, so we will have to be clinical with our execution and make sure we put their defence under a lot of pressure.”
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
The post Ospreys challenge a ‘clean state’ for Lions appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Defence coach Jaque Fourie says the Lions must be switched on for 80 minutes at Ellis Park on Saturday, following last week’s narrow win over the defending URC champions.
The post Ospreys challenge a ‘clean state’ for Lions appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
