Fidelity SecureDrive Lions head coach Ivan van Rooyen said the upcoming United Rugby Championship (URC) clash against Glasgow Warriors, scheduled for next Saturday at Ellis Park at 18:45 (SA Time), will be equivalent to playing a "Test match".
The Lions are currently on a four-game winning streak in the United Rugby Championship (URC) following a 42–26 bonus-point victory over the Dragons on 28 March 2026.
Glasgow has beaten the Vodacom Bulls 25-21 in a Top 16 clash in the Investec Champions Cup and will face RC Toulon on Saturday in a Quarter-final match before departing for South Africa.
Heading into the fixture, the two sides are separated by just 4 places in the league table, with Glasgow Warriors in 1st and Lions in 5th, underlining just how tight this match could be.
The Lions entered a two-week break following their recent win over the Dragons, which Van Rooyen described as "healthy" for refocusing and allowing players like Morne van den Berg to recover from minor niggles.
“The break for us is healthy. We’re at the stage of the season where rest, recovery, refocus and realignment are just as important as playing,” explained Van Rooyen.
“We’ve got one or two niggles that the break will do us good. We had an agreement pre-game that we’ll have a couple of days off, and then it’s time to get the engine going again.
“Where we are now, a bit of time off is healthy. It’s good for physicality, mindset and overall rest, so it’s important for us to get in 10 days of good and hard preparation for Glasgow.”
Recalling previous encounters where Glasgow's "attacking masterclass" Van Rooyen emphasised they need to be prepared to handle Glasgow's world-class defensive breakdown and physicality.
Van Rooyen said that if Glasgow brings their "A team," it is a full Test match, but even if they bring their "B team," the Lions will effectively be playing against 16 internationals instead of 23.
“If they bring their A team, we’re playing a Test match, and if they bring their B team, we’re playing (against) 16 internationals instead of 23, and that’s how we will prepare.”
“The team they picked to play against Leinster last weekend (with some of their star players resting) still had plenty of Test players. Their loose forwards are powerful, so whether they bring the Scottish (back) three or the rest of them, they are all quality.”
“We can’t focus on that currently. We can focus on getting ourselves ready, resting a little bit and then really trying to find that sweet spot in preparation again. Whatever team they bring, we’ll have to make plans around it and then fight that beast.”
The last meeting between these two sides in March 2025 saw Glasgow dominate with a 42-0 victory, though the Lions previously defeated them 44-21 at Ellis Park in May 2024.