The Lions assistant coach, Barend Pieterse, believes that their discipline against the Vodacom Bulls on Saturday at Loftus at 14:00 (SA Time) will be the difference between winning and losing.
“Everyone came back fresh, ready for these last two weeks before the Bulls game. We felt very good after the match against Ulster, who hadn’t lost a game until then. It was a big, big boost for our confidence as a squad.
“The big test in the United Rugby Championship is our local derbies, and it has been a long time since we have beaten the Bulls in this competition. If we can control our discipline and be good in that department, I think we give ourselves a very good chance on Saturday.”
The Lions will be without Asenathi Ntlabakanye and scrumhalf Morne van den Berg for Saturday’s Vodacom URC clash against the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld.
“Hopefully, they get a chance to play against Wales this weekend.”
“They’ll be back on board for the following week’s match against Benetton in the EPCR Challenge Cup.”
Pieterse emphasised the importance of the derby and praised the squad’s preparation.
The Lions recently suffered a setback when hooker Jaco Visagie was forced to end his rugby career due to a neck injury.
“He was set in his ways, but he always was a cool and calm head. He was the one guy you could phone on the morning of the game, if there were an injury or illness, he’d just come in and play the same as if he had trained the whole week. There is a lot of respect for him. We all wish him well.”