The Emirates Lions will face an uphill battle at the Hive Stadium against Edinburgh on Friday at 21:00 (SA Time) in a Top-16 match of the 2025 EPCR Challenge Cup.
Edinburgh have won their last three EPCR Challenge Cup matches and finished their pool as the top-placed team, but with the Gauteng side’s backs against the wall after three defeats in a row in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and the team still hurting from their heavy 42-0 defeat against the Glasgow Warriors last week, this week they will have all the motivation they need to create an upset and advance to the quarter-finals.
The Scottish outfit will undoubtedly enter the match as favourites and even more so with home-ground advantage counting in their favour. But the Emirates Lions, who have blown hot and cold this season, will be determined to get their season back on track and build winning momentum, not only to progress further in the European showpiece but also with their other objective in mind of staking a claim for a Vodacom URC playoff spot when the competition resumes in two weeks.
With both teams boasting 18 tries apiece in their EPCR Challenge Cup campaign so far and the Johannesburgers having the psychological boost of having thumped Edinburgh 55-21 the last time they crossed paths in the Vodacom URC, they will enter the match confident about turning around their season.
Emirates Lions’ defence guru Jaque Fourie acknowledged earlier this week that his side needed to improve on all fronts if they were to overcome Sean Everitt’s Edinburgh.
“We have to be better in all areas,” said the former Springbok centre.
“Edinburgh are dangerous with the ball in hand, so we need to play heads-up rugby, he warned.
With the mentality now shifting to knockout rugby, Fourie emphasized the need to regroup and take on the next task.
“A week is a long time in rugby. We have a chance to reset and put things right in this knockout match. It’s a massive game for us, and we have to perform at our best.
“We’ve learned our lessons. In these competitions, there are no easy games. We cannot underestimate anyone. We need to be at our best on Friday night,” he concluded.
