Springbok in doubt for Lions' Pau clash

NEWS: The Lions have a mammoth task to bounce back when they host Pau in Round Two of the Challenge Cup at Ellis Park this weekend and might have to do so without their Springbok.

Fullback Quan Horn and Bok prospect centre Henco van Wyk were not on the paddock on Thursday afternoon during the training session and look set to miss this weekend’s fixture as both are nursing injuries picked up during training this week.

Another back, Richard Kriel (shoulder) was also absent from training after he got injured in the bruising encounter against Ospreys last weekend.

The men from Johannesburg got a beating in Llanelli on Saturday as they went down 14-30 in their Round One Challenge Cup match.

Pau is currently second on the log behind Ospreys in their pool.

The training session took place in searing heat, a far cry from the extreme weather conditions the Lions experienced on their trip.

They are desperate for a win after three consecutive losses but Pau will be a different beast come Saturday.

Ricardo Loubscher, the Lions’ backline and attack coach, said Pau is on a high after a good start to the competition.

Let the boys play! 🏉

Our last #ChallengeCupRugby game of the day 👇@ospreys 🆚 @LionsRugbyCo 🤝

Tune in to Premier Sports, SuperSport and FloRugby to watch 📺 pic.twitter.com/wjM0azKpDa

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— EPCR Challenge Cup (@ChallengeCup_) December 8, 2024

“They are physical and they’ve got some big boys. They can attack so your defence must be good, but from our point of view, we want to make sure we put them under pressure.

“We really need a good start so for the first 20 minutes we want to be direct and play with tempo and accuracy,” Loubscher stated.

The Lions’ game-drivers let the team down, with especially the halfback pairing of Nico Steyn and Sam Francis not in sync while the team’s discipline was also questionable.

“There are a lot of mistakes we need to fix after the Ospreys game, and the Munster game as well. But we are excited and want to put in a good performance.

“In general I think our work rate off the ball could be better. We want to be ball in hand this weekend, we want to attack so we need to make sure that we are working hard to get into those positions so we can take advantage of those opportunities, ” Loubscher concluded.