Van Rooyen warns Lions must ‘win away’ to stay alive in Challenge Cup race

Lions coach Ivan van Rooyen admitted that Saturday’s home defeat against Benetton in the opening group game of the Challenge Cup had left his team with a mountain to climb to reach  the knockout rounds.

The Joburg side faces a tricky trip to Newcastle this weekend for their second group game, before they resume their URC campaign with matches against the Stormers and Sharks. Their last two Challenge Cup group games are at home against Lyon and away to Perpignan in January.

Coach Cash feels Saturday’s 26-18 loss to the visitors from Treviso had complicated their path to the playoffs. Newcastle Red Bulls started their campaign with a 23-14 away win against Lyon on Saturday.    

“The goal will always be to be in a position to play the round of 16 and the quarterfinal at home. The problem now is that we’ve got two away games left and one at home, and we must either win all three or win two with five points, and then it’s again down to points difference and it gets technical,” he said at the post-match media conference at Ellis Park.

“Newcastle next weekend is important for us, our next opportunity. I believe it’s really cold there, so it’s a bit of a challenge to travel. But again, it’s an opportunity to get back on the horse next week and to get something out of the match.”

The Lions named their touring squad for the Newcastle trip on Sunday, with Springbok prop Asenathi Ntlabakanye and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg given a rest, having only returned to the team for Saturday’s clash after the November internationals. 

Among the forwards who started on Saturday, skipper and No 8 Francke Horn, Franco Marais and Etienne Oosthuizen won’t be making the trip. Welcome news for the Lions, however, is the return from injury of experienced hooker PJ Botha.

Of Saturday’s starting backs, flyhalf Chris Smith and centres Bronson Mills and Erich Cronje, who also recently returned from injury, also won’t board the plane to the UK. 

“There will be a bit of rotation. Some of their loads are such that I think it’s an unnecessary risk to fly them all the way to Newcastle and back. But we’ll still go out to pick the best team for the match,” Van Rooyen had said. 

He revealed that a practice match against the Leopards had helped keep the players who didn’t feature on Saturday sharp.Kick-off in Saturday’s Challenge Cup match against Newcastle Red Bulls at Kingston Park is at 7pm SA time.

Lions squad v Newcastle

Forwards: Eddie Davids, Dylan Sjoblom, Jarod Cairns, Leon Lyons, Marco Ferreira, Morne Brandon, PJ Botha, Renzo du Plessis, RF Schoeman, Ruan Delport, Ruben Schoeman, Siba Qoma, Siba Mahashe, Siya Dube, WJ Steenkamp, SJ Kotze/Conraad van Vuuren

Backs: Angelo Davids, Gianni Lombard, Haashim Pead, Lubabalo Dobela, Manuel Rass, Nico Steyn, Rabz Maxwane, Richard Kriel, Rynhardt Jonker, Sam Francis