VIDEO: Lions not wasting energy on URC permutations
IN THE SPOTLIGHT: The Lions have no interest in crunching URC play-off permutations ahead of their decisive final league clash against Munster, choosing instead to focus all their energy on securing a place in the top eight.
While most sports outlets have been reporting on the URC permutations for the last few weeks, the Lions camp have opted not to pay attention to the what-ifs and shut out the outside noise.
Instead, Lions assistant coach Wessel Roux and captain Francke Horne both stressed that dwelling on the log standings and possible scenarios would only distract the squad from the task at hand.
The Lions had an opportunity to move into the top four ahead of the showdown against Munster.
However, they suffered a 7-31 defeat to Leinster in the Round 17 clash.
Leinster were up by merely seven points until the 68th minute before Hugo Keenan, Rieko Ioane, and Jimmy O’Brien scored three tries to take the game away from the Lions and deny them any points from the match.
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“The guys wanted to put in a good performance and we let ourselves down,” Lions captain Horne said.
“The first 65 minutes, we stayed in the fight, we played good rugby and put Leinster under pressure.
“There were one or two mistakes that were uncharacteristic and individuals already put their hands up and acknowledged that we could be better in that area.
“However, their rush defence, like Leinster do, can do that to you.
“Nonetheless, we do know how to fix it and have been working really hard to fix it.
“The last 10 minutes was a big talking point for us. There were difficult errors and one or two calls that didn’t go our way, which put us under pressure.
“But we have been working hard the last two days to fix it ahead of Munster.”
The Lions will take on Munster in Limerick in the final game of the round on Saturday evening – and will know exactly what’s required before kick-off.
“We’re not thinking at all about permutations and the log,” Horne said.
“Our goal has always been to make the top eight. If we win this weekend, we do that. It’s basically as straightforward as that.
“We have to play better rugby. Leinster put us under pressure. We already have plans for how and what we want to do against Munster.
“They are also going to be desperate. They also need a win. It’s going to be a massive game this weekend. We are under no illusion regarding that.
“But it takes a lot of energy to focus on permutations. We’re going full out for the win this weekend. Then the top eight will take care of itself.”
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Roux echoed those sentiments.
“I know it’s a cliché, but we try to take it week by week and want to prepare well.
“But there is one round left for everyone, not just for us.
“We were 100 percent aware that Leinster were a brilliant side, very well-coached, with British and Irish Lions stars and All Blacks all over the place.
“The same applies to Munster. They are a quality side, and we are preparing as well as we can and will look at the log afterwards.
“Obviously, we want to be in the top four, but to look at the log now is unnecessary energy that could be spent somewhere else.
“So we try to keep focused on the stuff that we can control.”
Meanwhile, the Lions have not called up a replacement for Ruan Venter.
The Springbok loose forward left the field in the fourth minute against Leinster at the Aviva Stadium after sustaining a knee injury.
“I’m not sure about the medical report, so I can’t exactly tell you the details of the report,” Roux said.
“However, I do know that it’s an extremely serious injury.
“I do feel that we have enough cover. We selected 30 forwards for the trip, so we did not see the need to bring in an extra individual. We are relatively safe and covered.”
