Lions backline coach Ricardo Loubscher says the Investec Champions Cup debutants must start well against La Rochelle on Saturday.
The Pride are coming off a 57-15 hammering from the Bulls in the URC at Loftus Versfeld last Saturday, but Loubscher said they had moved on quickly and were relishing the occasion in France.
“We’re excited about it. We’re looking forward to the game and the competition. A team like La Rochelle is really good for us to test ourselves against.”
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Loubscher pointed to the atmosphere at Stade Marcel-Deflandre as one of the key tests awaiting the Lions.
“One of the big things in France is the atmosphere pre-game,” he said. “There’s a massive vibe and they obviously play with a lot of passion at home.
“The important thing for us is we need to start really well and make sure we silence the crowd.
“We know the collisions will be a big part of the game and our execution must go a level up.”
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Loubscher said the Lions did not shy away from what went wrong against the Bulls before shifting their focus to their Champions Cup opener.
“Monday was a hard, honest review,” he said. “But we also made a decision – we’re going to be hard on ourselves and look at where we can be better, but as we walk out of that meeting, we close the door on the Bulls.
“It’s all about the execution of your role and your job,” he added. “Did we do our jobs? Did we do our roles as well as we could? Obviously not. But the big focus now is to make sure there’s a menu in terms of attack and defence, and it’s more around our intent.”
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Loubscher also spoke glowingly about 19-year-old centre Ethan Adams, who is set to make his European bow on Saturday.
“His strengths are basically just to get you over the gain line. He’s a handful when it comes to ball in hand and he’s running good angles.
“The important thing for him now is just to find his feet, settle down and get used to the level. But we know he’s definitely one of the players for the future.”
Photo: Stade Rochelais/Facebook
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Lions backline coach Ricardo Loubscher says the Investec Champions Cup debutants must start well against La Rochelle on Saturday.
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