Johannesburg — An argument can be made that there could not be two teams more diametrically opposed than Leinster and the Lions this season.
The Irish giants are undefeated in the United Rugby Championship (URC) having won 15 of their 16 matches in the tournament, with the only blotch on their near perfect season a 22-22 draw against the Stormers.
They have already secured a home quarter-final in the tournament, and top spot on the standings to boot, irrespective of what happens in South Africa over the next two weekends against the Lions and Bulls, respectively.
Elsewhere, they are flying high in the Champions Cup and are arguably – along with Toulouse – the favourites to win that competition. They have travelled to Gauteng with a 30-man squad that is composed of several fringe players, but such is their depth and talent that they remain a well-oiled, well-coached and well-drilled machine.
They are a picture of stability.
The Lions, on the other hand, have experienced undulating form. There have been matches where they have been outstanding, only to fall into the doldrums on occasion.
They have won eight of their URC matches and have lost the other eight to sit 11th on the standings. They have a slim chance of making the play-offs, but need spades of luck to do so.
Off-the-field issues, meanwhile, have plagued them - especially during the early part of 2023. This past weekend they put up a fight, but were dumped out of the Challenge Cup in a quarter-final loss to Glasgow Warriors.
The objectives of both teams on Saturday at Ellis Park are then quite different.“It will be about keeping that standard,” said South African export to Leinster and former Bulls lock Jason Jenkins.
“We want to stay undefeated for the season. It is a goal amongst the players.
“Even though we have already qualified, and we have got the home quarter, these games are still important. You never know with injuries guys playing this week could have to make the step up into Europe or into play-offs for the URC.
“Everybody has got to be ready. Everybody must know the game plan.”
Lions captain Marius Louw & Co, meanwhile, have a far more complicated and dare we say it, ambitious goal to achieve.
“The best we can do is focus on ourselves,” Louw said.
“To give us the best chance is to get five points and to give the other team no points. We can only control what we can and that will be the best scenario for us.
“There won’t be a change in mindset. As a matter of fact, we just want to keep on growing and go in even harder.
“There are areas that we can control.“I think the set-piece is something we pride ourselves on. Lately, we have been good there.
“Whatever we want to do, we want to make it a competition. For us, that is winning the breakdowns to make sure we get quick ball.
“We know that they thrive on quick balls, so we want to make sure that we slow them down. We want to stop them on defence, and we want to be direct first.
“In all aspects of the game, we want to make sure we beat them in the game. It is simple for us, and it is nothing special: We must put ourselves in as many battles as we can and eventually, we will come out on top.”
IOL Sport