The Lions are trending in the right direction and forwards coach Barend Pieterse says keeping it simple is key to the tourists preying on Ulster at Kingspan Stadium on Friday night.
The Lions have endured a tough start to the season with three narrow losses preceding last week’s nail-biting win against Scarlets. While disappointed with the Lions’ 1-3 record, Pieterse sees the silver-lining in the team’s effort being rewarded with vital log points to arrive in round 5 in 12th place.
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“There have been a few points in each loss and we felt those matches could of gone either way, but the most important thing is that we got points out of the games,” he said. “If you look at the log now those four losing points are like an extra win for us which was very important.
“Look, the guys are really working hard but the conditions aren’t easy over here, I mean it’s the same for both teams, we both have to train in the wet, go out early in the dark, come back in the dark but the effort the guys are giving at the moment hopefully will show in the result.
“The big thing that we spoke about during the past four weeks is more calmness when we get into the scoring zone. Our work rate in general wasn’t what we wanted in the opening game, but if you look at the last game, every individual worked very hard, and it just came together for us.
“We need to make sure our basics is good. The guys know the environment that we are going into is harsh. The weather outside is cold, it’s raining, and the stadium will be sold out again, but everyone is ready for what we expect, and we just have to keep our basics simple. It doesn’t help against a classy team like Ulster if we start doing funny things like play from own try-line.”
Smith has recently made his return from injury, the journeyman prop is also under no illusions about the task at hand.
“Ulster is always a challenge,” he said. “They have got a very good forward back with a lot of depth in the squad, so the mauls and scrums are going to key. We have got a plan and just need to stick to it and limit mistakes.
“We are lucky with our set piece in that we get a good base from the scrums. All the mistakes were of our own doing and not from the opposition outclassing us.
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