Lions desperate to recapture form on foreign fields

The Lions took uplifting tour form into their recent derby matches, but they were sent packing, dispiritingly so, by the Sharks and Stormers.

On Friday they are back on foreign fields, hoping to recapture the form that saw them return unbeaten from their last overseas tour, with wins at the Ospreys, Cardiff and Edinburgh.

This assignment though, is tougher. First up they face Munster, who form-wise are in the same ballpark as the Lions, but who are routinely uplifted to a different playing plane when they run out in front of their home fans. They may not be at their usual Thomond Park base in Limerick, but the support in Cork will be as enthusiastically partisan.

The Lions assignment is made tougher by the team having had to travel in three groups, some enduring a 32-hour journey from Johannesburg to Cork.

On the back of the restorative powers of a good night's rest, senior squad member Jaco Kriel arrived at some sobering conclusions.

“They often say if you want a successful campaign you have to win your home games. We are not winning our home games, which makes these away games very important. Munster are having a good spell, so it will be a tough game this weekend,” said Kriel about the first of four clashes on a tour that includes trips to Stade Francais, the Dragons and Connacht. All will be on artificial pitches, presenting a challenge for the tourists.

Kriel was a little stumped for reasons the Lions are unable to repeat their tour results in South Africa. The short answer may have a lot to do with the South African conference being the strongest in the competition.

There are other, more superficial reasons.

“On tour there are no external distractions. I'm not going to say family or wife are distractions,” Kriel quickly qualified. “(On tour) the guys only have themselves. There's bonding and nothing else to do apart from getting to know the guy next to you.

“You can only use that excuse for so long because this is not the only tour this group has been on.

“We are struggling against South African teams and it is sad to see because it was never the case. I think a mental shift needs to happen for the players to believe we can beat them,” he said.

Scrum coach Julian Redelinghuys concurs.

“It has been a year since we last beat a South African team in this competition,” he said about the Lions' win in Cape Town in December 2021. “When you look at it unemotionally, they are great teams. They were all in the play-offs in their first season. We find ourselves in a tough conference. I think it is a mental thing.”

One player who will not carry any mental barriers into the clash is debutant Emile van Heerden. He will get a first start in a youthful back row that also features Jarod Cairns and Emmanuel Tshituka.

Hooker Michael van Vuuren gets his chance off a bench that includes the experienced Willem Alberts and Andre Warner.

Lions team to play Munster: Quan Horn; Stean Pienaar; Henco van Wyk; Marius Louw (captain); Edwill van der Merwe; Jordan Hendrikse; Morne van den Berg; Emmanuel Tshituka; Emile van Heerden; Jarod Cairns; Darrien Landsberg; Ruan Venter; Asenathi Ntlabakanye; PJ Botha; JP Smith.

Substitutes: Michael van Vuuren; Morgan Naude; Ruan Smith; Willem Alberts; Sibusiso Sangweni; Andre Warner; Gianni Lombard; Manuel Rass.