Away is like 'home' to the Lions
The Golden Lions will travel to Kimberley for the third successive Currie Cup season, but they are not going to get sidetrack by fixture peculiarities.
Lions coach Johan Ackermann, speaking to rugby365 ahead of his team's Round Eight encounter with Griquas on Saturday, said he has not been given a reason for his team's repeated trip to Kimberley.
However, he is comfortable that his team can get the job done, regardless of where they play.
"It has been a while since we played them at home [Ellis Park]," he said, adding: "The core of this team played in Kimberley last year.
"However, they are a team withy a good track record on their home field and they make you work hard for any rewards.
"Still, it is within our own hands and we can control it if we stay with our systems.
"We simply have to turn up with the right attitude," Ackermann said, adding that the mental build-up is just as important as the physical preparations for a game of this nature.
"The team does have confidence in the systems and if we focus on what we can control then things will go well."
The Lions have shown that even when teams get points against them early in the match, they can come back and pull it off.
"The key in our away games – against Griquas [this week] and the Sharks [in Durban next week] – is that we take care of that which we can control.
"We shouldn't worry too much about where we play or who we play against."
The Lions mentor also said his team will not deviate too much from their expansive game.
"We are comfortable with the way we play and we are at a stage of the season where you don't need or want to change too much," Ackermann told rugby365.
"It is still important to have a balance.
"At [leading] 29-3 against the Pumas we wanted to play too much rugby at times and then we lost a bit of structure.
"It is important to adjust to the situation on the field."
The Lions mentor felt they can still cut down on their error count and improve their discipline.
The other positive in the build-up ahead of the trip to Kimberley is the return from injury of their star halfback pairing of Ross Cronjé (starting) and Marnitz Boshoff (playing off the bench).
"He is a proven match-winner and we just have to manage him carefully – making sure we ease him back in," Ackermann said, when asked about Boshoff being on the bench.
"We had a few setbacks, with Ricky Schroeder and MB [Luvuyiso Lusaseni] ruled out. Then there are others like Michael Bondesio and Alwyn Hollenbach, who are not 100 percent yet.
"But to get guys like Ross [Cronje] and Bossie [Marnitz Boshoff] back – players who were a crucial part of our Super Rugby campaign – is great."
By Jan de Koning
