After stunning the Stormers in Cape Town, Connacht have shifted their focus to another major South African scalp.
The Irish side travel to Johannesburg for Saturday’s crucial Vodacom URC clash against the Lions, hoping to complete a rare clean-sweep of their South African tour.
Connacht beat the Stormers 33-24 last week and will take confidence from the fact that they have already won once at Ellis Park during the inaugural URC season in 2021-22.
But forwards coach John Muldoon admits the Lions present a completely different challenge.
Muldoon described the Lions as a dangerous side capable of punishing teams from anywhere on the field.
“They have a phenomenal back row,” he said. “They had eight or nine turnovers at the breakdown against the Glasgow Warriors.
“They were scoring tries for fun, from long distance.”
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Connacht are also adjusting their preparation to cope with Johannesburg’s altitude after previous struggles on the Highveld.
“We’ve made a few tweaks to how we prepare the week, and hopefully that will put us in good standing on Saturday,” said Muldoon.
Connacht suffered heavily at Ellis Park last season and Muldoon admitted they played into the Lions’ hands.
“Last year, we tried to play rugby and throw the ball around. We probably cut our own throats.”
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The Irish side currently sit ninth in the URC standings and remain firmly in the playoff hunt heading into the final three rounds.
Muldoon believes the race is still wide open, but knows Connacht will need another massive performance if they are to leave South Africa unbeaten.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images
The post Connacht hunting rare SA double appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
After stunning the Stormers in Cape Town, Connacht have shifted their focus to another major South African scalp.
The post Connacht hunting rare SA double appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
