Assistant coach Jaque Fourie has emphasised the importance of seizing opportunities in the Lions’ second match of their European tour against Benetton on Sunday.
Winless after the opening two rounds of the 2023-24 Vodacom URC, The Pride are desperate to bounce back after a narrow 17-16 defeat at the hands of Edinburgh in Scotland last week.
“The team that will use its chances will win,” said Fourie in a Lions press conference this week. He also stressed that the Joburgers cannot allow Benetton to dictate the game with their kicking and must apply early pressure.
“We want to play rugby with the ball in hand,” Fourie stated, indicating a desire to maintain possession and build momentum. “In the conditions we expect, it is important to keep the ball.
“We must not allow them to dictate the game with their kicking. We have to put pressure on them and be physical for the first 40 minutes.”
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Learning from their previous match, where isolated players lost possession in the opponent’s quarter, the Lions are working diligently to rectify their mistakes.
“There are a few things we are paying attention to this week to do better. Hopefully we can correct last weekend’s mistakes this weekend,” Fourie added.
“Against Edinburgh, some of our players got isolated and lost the ball in Edinburgh’s quarter area. It made it difficult to maintain momentum. We are now working on the training field to correct what we did wrong then.
Fourie also acknowledged the strengths of Benetton, highlighting key players like Malakai Fekitoa, Jacob Umaga, and their formidable pack of forwards.
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