The Lions have had a “tough love” meeting after firing a few shots at Montpellier last week, and the Dragons can expect a backlash at Ellis Park on Saturday (5.15pm kick-off).
The Lions went down 28-5 in the Challenge Cup fixture to go with an earlier loss to the Ospreys.
They beat Pau in Johannesburg, but the two losses leave them precariously placed in fifth position in Pool 2 of the Cup.
Lions flanker Izan Esterhuizen said his team have no choice but to go for broke against the Welsh side this weekend.
“Some tough love was fully deserved after our (poor) performance at the weekend,” Esterhuizen said.
“That was not the standard that we should play to. We disappointed ourselves and our fans because we went there in the right frame of mind, but made uncharacteristic mistakes.
“We can reassure our supporters that it had nothing to with our mindset. There is a will to win – we don’t go into a game with anything but full intensity.”
Esterhuizen is an up-and-coming flank, and after long periods on the sidelines at Ellis Park – he joined the Lions in 2021, but has played just 16 games – he is now getting picked, and has started three of the team’s last four games.
“We were very direct with each other in an honest team meeting,” the 23-year-old said.
“There were a few communication issues we addressed. We stand together, and the guys are very keen to return to winning ways.
“We just need to get the flow going. Everyone wants to do well and to help each other, and we have been pulling together in this week’s training sessions.
“I can see that everyone is hungry despite all the travelling we have done. We’re motivating each other... There is a hunger to win, and our mindset is that we will beat the Dragons this weekend.”
At 1.91m tall and weighing 112kg, the blond-haired Esterhuizen has the ideal physical attributes for a flank, and he is finding the form to go with it.
“I am feeling good both in my game and in my life in general,” he said.
“I feel like things are coming together. Now that I am playing more, I’m concentrating on making sure I keep my shape on attack and defence and keep calm, so that I can give attention to the detail of what I am doing.”
The Lions way. ✅#LionsPride🦁 pic.twitter.com/c66Bhizjhx
— Lions (@LionsRugbyCo) January 15, 2025
Esterhuizen has had his injury setbacks, and being back on the playing field has caught him by surprise in some respects.
“You can look good in training and paint nice pictures, but when you have had minimal game-time, you get fatigued in games because no matter how hard you train – you can’t simulate 80 minutes of match performance in training.”
The Lions’ Challenge Cup aspirations hang by the thinnest of threads, and only five log points against the Dragons and a series of results in their favour can save them from crashing out before the play-offs.
“We have done ourselves no favours by not picking up more points, and on Saturday, we are 100 percent chasing a bonus-point win,” Esterhuizen stressed. “That is in our hands. We can’t control what the other teams do.”
The Lions know the Dragons well from the United Rugby Championship, but Esterhuizen said this does not necessarily make them easier to beat.
“Each team is unique,” he said. “Each has its strengths, and that is why you review them.
“The Dragons can get physical on the day, but we can get much more physical.
“That is one area where we will step up, and then our tempo and accuracy have to go hand in hand with that to get the dominance to secure the win.” | Independent Media Sport